


If Only For A Moment

by sippingandshipping



Category: The Creatures | Cow Chop RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Succubi & Incubi, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chance Meetings, Falling In Love, First Dates, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-05-14 03:07:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 61,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19264693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sippingandshipping/pseuds/sippingandshipping
Summary: Alternative Title: The Incubi’s Guide To Falling In LoveThey say that beauty is a curse.James would be inclined to disagree, at least partially. After so many years on this Earth, surely he has to be considered an expert by now,right?Beauty definitely has its up-sides. When you’re a demon who feeds on sexual energy, it certainly makes your job easier when you’re gorgeous enough to make pretty much anybody jump at the chance to sleep with you.There comes a point, though, where you have to wonder what the purpose of it all is. What’s the use in the entire world seeing you as beautiful, when they’re not actually seeingyou?Welcome to the age-old brooding of a 215 year old incubus.





	1. Not looking for a love that will last

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this fic has been the journey of a lifetime, and I wouldn't have made it without the constant love and support of all my wonderful friends and followers. A massive shoutout to [Ash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/athenake), who beta'd this entire story from start to finish. It wouldn't be what it is without their contribution! Also to my wonderful friends [Hannah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/personalized_radio/pseuds/Cockbite) and [Kat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haywoodukillme), for being there at all hours of the day and night for me to throw ideas at. You all kept me sane! <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please bear with me guys. This first chapter is pure world building, but I promise you we'll be jumping right into that sweet sweet NovaHD very soon! <3

_Fire when the strobe hits you, you,_

_Bet you're looking for something new, whoa._

_I feel the heat with you starin' off across the room,_

_I dare you play your cards, boy, you bet I'm a TRNDSTTR, too._

The music is pounding, bass thrumming through the air until James can feel it flowing in his veins. He really does like this club; in fact, it’s probably his favourite in Los Angeles. The vibe is lively, and he can always count on good music and great looking people. He outshines them all, of course, but that’s to be expected when you’re an incubus.

People are dancing near the centre of the room, a heaving mass of bodies and energy, and James would be tempted to join them if he weren’t already so wiped out. Still, he lets his eyes wander over the dance floor, watches the way the revellers grind against each other. He can feel the sexual energy from all the way over at the bar. It’s like a wave of hot, pulsating desire, pounding along with the flow of the music, and it sets his body alight with a craving, a _hunger_ that begs to be sated.

James clenches his jaw and forces himself to turn away, finishing off the remains of his cocktail to help clear his head.

_Stupid_. It’s beyond stupid of him to have left it for so long. The longer he denies himself, the weaker he becomes, and that hunger just overwhelms his control.

If he’s being honest, though, the wait is well worth it when he finally feels that surge of energy that makes his body sing.

“I’ll get a Vodka Red Bull, cheers mate.”

The voice is deep and resonant, flows like honey, and the fact that it manages to stand out over the booming music of the nightclub is what initially piques James’ interest. He looks over just in time for the man to turn and see him. It’s comical, really, how the guy’s eyes widen, and he almost chokes on air. By the time he’s managed to regain his composure, James is smirking.

“What’s a pretty little thing like you doin’ in a place like this?” The man flashes a grin, running a hand through his hair as his eyes rove over James’ body appreciatively. James isn’t one to be shy, so he does a little ogling of his own.

The guy is _fine_ ; probably one of the better-looking men James has seen for a while. He’s tall and muscular, with beautiful, toned skin. A sheer grey blazer sits over a white undershirt that dips just low enough to show a hint of his collarbones. The sleeves are rolled up to the elbow, and James notes an expensive-looking watch standing proudly on his wrist. It’s not anything ultra-premium, but the style vaguely reminds James of the Panerai Luminor they released in 1950. Of course, back then they were only issued to military personnel, but James saw his fair share of them on his partners in those days. 

James beams at the man, knows that his teeth are white and straight and just as perfect as the rest of him, and the man seems utterly dazzled for a few seconds, just a little short of breath. 

“Oh, y’know,” James murmurs, wetting his lips, “waiting for trouble to find me.”

He swears that he sees the guy’s eyes grow darker, and James can already feel the palpable lust rolling off of him in waves. That hunger rears its head again, and James has to swallow it down before he jumps the guy in the middle of a crowded nightclub. 

“Darren,” the stranger extends his hand, and yep, he’s got _really_ nice hands too.

_He’ll do nicely_ , James decides.

He quickly glances down and notices manicured nails and a cocktail dress, smiling to himself. _All the single ladies..._

“Jamie,” he replies, shaking Darren’s hand. His voice is a woman’s, flirty and lilting, now that he’s made the decision. He lets his thumb drag a little as he recedes, and that heated gaze meets his again. _Piece of cake_ , he thinks to himself, and it brings a private smile to his lips to know how much power he has. 

“Can I interest the lady in a drink?” Darren enquires, gesturing the bartender over.

“Ah, a gentleman. And here I was thinkin’ that you’d just tell me what I wanna drink.”

Darren quirks an eyebrow and laughs, “Are those the type of guys you’re used to hanging out with? I’d suggest a change of company.”

All James can do is giggle, thinking back on all the men who had thrown themselves at him throughout the 40s and 50s, “I suppose it _was_ to be expected; things were very different back then.”

Darren cocks his head, likely confused by the implication coming from an attractive young woman who can’t be older than her mid-twenties, but James waves him off good-naturedly.

“I’d love an Espresso Martini, thanks.” 

Darren inclines his head and hands his card over to the bartender.

“So, someone’s looking for a wake-up call, huh?” 

“Yeah, I’m feeling a little out of it at the moment.” James sighs, sweeping his hair over his shoulder. He meets Darren’s eye again, “Not for much longer, though. Hopefully…” 

Darren can’t possibly know the truth about James, but he seems to understand that there’s some deeper meaning there, and he automatically leans in a little closer. He’s got beautiful eyes, a deep chestnut colour, and the beard, too. His beard is almost exactly the same as James’ own, though he’s not exactly in his true form right now.

Either way, James really wants to kiss him, wants to trail pecks along Darren’s jaw, down his neck, and… _dammit_ he’s hungry!

He meets Darren’s gaze again, can’t help but notice how much his pupils have dilated, and it’s only then that James realizes he’s got his bottom lip trapped between his teeth. He huffs out a laugh and releases it, reaching for his drink. His eyes never stray from the man in front of him, though, even as he quickly downs his martini. 

There's a warm buzz; the shock of the coffee working its magic and the spicy undertones of the vodka. It’s nothing compared to a sexual high, of course, but it still clears his head a little and momentarily frees him from the craving. 

“Ah, sorry,” James laughs, “I, uh, I think I needed that.”

Darren snorts and shakes his head a little; whether it’s out of amusement or trying to clear his head, James can’t quite tell.

“You know what?” James adds, fingers finding their way to Darren’s thigh. The touch is light and fleeting, just enough to get the point across. “I really wanna get out of here…”

Darren swallows thickly, but otherwise doesn’t react. _Oops, guess I broke him_ , James thinks to himself, and he grins as he stands up.

As he walks away, James looks back over his shoulder, flips his hair like every girl in those cheesy romantic films, and even throws in a mischievous wink for good measure.

“You comin’?”

Darren practically trips over himself to down the remainder of his drink and follow James.

The crowd parts for James as he makes his way towards the exit, accompanied by a myriad of gasps and wide-eyed stares. People have never been great at hiding their reaction to seeing the most gorgeous person they’ve ever laid eyes on. _Oh well_ , James can’t say it isn’t a welcome ego boost. He just thanks God that he’s grown quite proficient at walking in heels, because he’s sure the effect would be severely diminished if he fell flat on his face.

The air outside is just cool enough to be refreshing, and it feels wonderful on his bare skin. It’s early June, that time of year just between spring and summer where the temperature is at its sweet spot; no longer cold enough to be freezing, yet not hot enough to be sweltering.

Darren catches up with James just as he’s hailing a cab, and he settles a hand against the silky material of James’ dress, fingers perfectly fitting along the curve of James’ spine.

“Yours or mine?” he pipes up, holding the door open and inviting James to step inside.

“Yours.” James smirks as he shuffles across the back seat to the opposite side. The cab is dark, but it seems clean enough and it doesn’t smell like piss, so James has to admit it’s not that bad. This is LA, after all, so you take what you can get. “I have an… _agreement_ , I guess you could say, with my roommate. No partners at our place.”

Darren seems a little confused, but he nods regardless and relays his address to the cab driver.

_It’s for the best_ , James reminds himself, looking at this handsome stranger as he settles into the seat beside him. He and Brett decided over a century ago that they wouldn’t bring any humans into their apartment to have fun. There was the secrecy aspect, of course, but in the end, they agreed that it was just too risky to wipe someone’s memory before sending them off in a random cab.

As the car pulls away from the curb, James can feel Darren’s eyes on him, and it’s awakening that part of himself that’s crying out to be sated. He gives him a grin, turning to get the driver’s attention. A pair of eyes meet his in the rear-view mirror, and James smiles, focusing on the man.

“ _You don’t care what we’re doing in the back._ ”

James can see the man’s eyes glaze over for a fraction of a second, and he blinks a few times. “I don’t care what you’re doing in the back,” he murmurs, turning his attention back to the road.

Darren opens his mouth, probably to ask what the fuck just happened, but James is on him in an instant. He straddles the man and presses close to him, feels as Darren automatically spreads his legs a little and lets his hands move to rest on the swell of James’ hips.

Whatever question or exclamation he had meant to let loose dies on his lips as James hooks an arm around his neck and kisses him. It’s fierce and passionate, an outpouring of all that built-up yearning, and James is _thriving_. Darren doesn’t seem to mind, though; quite the opposite, in fact. He moans, tilting his head to make the most of the angle. His lips move with James’ own, and his hands are making rounds along the expanse of James’ back.

James grinds down a little, wants to feel that intoxicating swell of arousal, needs to _taste_ it. He’s certainly not disappointed. Darren is already getting hard, and he breaks away with a groan, gasping for air. His head hits the back of the seat, and he doesn’t seem to be able to shake himself from his daze.

“We’re having sex in the back of a cab,” he murmurs. It’s feeble, like he’s not quite sure whether he’s dreaming all of this or not.

“Oh, how very astute of you.” James grins against his neck, nipping a trail of love bites along Darren’s skin. It’s sweltering here already, and James wouldn’t be surprised if the windows are steaming up. “Although, if my calculations are correct, and they always are, your apartment is only five minutes’ drive from here. _So_ —tempted as we may be—there ain’t gonna be time to do the dirty in here.” 

All Darren can do is chuckle in disbelief, hands finding their way to James’ bare shoulders. “You’re the craziest chick I’ve ever met, y’know that?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.” James says, running his fingers over Darren’s cheek and cupping his jaw. “Now, kiss me.”

James doesn’t compel the man, but he may as well have, because Darren surges forward to capture his lips again and pulls James flush to his body. The human is well and truly hard now and James sets himself to some slow, gentle grinding, just enough to pull another noise from the man beneath him.

James could stay like this forever. It’s what he’s _made_ for; what he thrives on. _But_ , right on schedule, the cab pulls up to the curb outside Darren’s apartment building.

James swings his leg over to dismount Darren and fishes a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet, handing it to the driver as he pops the door open and scoots himself out. As Darren exits, James ducks his head into the cab again and smiles sheepishly. “Keep the change. For, _uh_ —for your trouble…” 

He steps back, smoothing down his dress, and watches on as the cab screeches away from the curb. The driver probably wants to get away before the crazy rich lady comes to her senses and asks for her change.

“Whoa there, big spender!” Darren quirks an eyebrow, laughing under his breath. “You’re making me look bad.”

James can only smile and shrug. 

“You can’t really blame me, can you? We _did_ just have a make out session in the back of his car. I for one think he deserves compensation.” James looks up, studying the building in front of them. It’s nice; nothing too flashy, but they’re certainly not in a seedy part of the city, so that’s always a plus. “Besides, I owed you for a drink.”

Darren lets them through the front door and walks beside him as they enter the elevator. He selects the sixth floor and the doors swing shut, but James is more interested in the mirrors that line the walls. This is the first time he’s seen the form he’s taken tonight.

He’s gorgeous, of course, but that’s a given. The woman he sees in the mirror—his own reflection—is shortish, with toned skin and long, glossy blonde hair that flows straight down her back. Her eyes are a blueish-green and she’s got a smattering of freckles over her cheeks. She’s wearing a short, navy blue cocktail dress that reaches as far as her mid-thighs, and it hugs her body, accentuating the curve of her ass and breasts. Despite being shorter than Darren, the stiletto heels she’s wearing raise her to about the height of his face.

_Jamie_. He likes it; the name suits her.

He smiles, lifting his hand to admire his perfectly-manicured nails, and he gets lost in his own thoughts until Darren clears his throat.

“Getting a bit full of ourselves, aren’t we?” Darren purses his lips. James starts, meeting his amused stare with an apologetic smile. “I think we can both agree you look incredible, but how about we keep the lustful stares reserved for me.” 

“Shut _up_ ,” James giggles as the elevator dings, and the doors slide open. He mock punches the man for good measure and Darren recoils with an exaggerated groan of agony. 

They’re still laughing when they make it to the apartment door and Darren unlocks it with ease. James rests his hand on Darren’s blazer, feels the subtle shift of muscle beneath, and once the thought pops into his head that he’d love to see what’s underneath those damned clothes, there’s no going back. 

As soon as the door is open, they crash together again. They’re pressed close, throwing off clothes as they move through the flat. The touches are insistent, bordering on desperate, like a fire catching and roaring hotter by the second.

James is still in a lacy black bra and panties—he has to admire Darren for his taste in lingerie—when his knees hit the bed and he falls back onto the soft mattress. Darren shuffles out of his jeans, leaving nothing but his boxer briefs, and _damn_ did James make the right choice tonight.

He gives himself a mental pat on the back.

Darren seems a little stunned as he looks down at the beautiful woman sprawled out on his bed, and he crawls over to James, arms on either side of his head. 

“How are you so _perfect…?”_ he wonders aloud, almost as if he can’t believe how he got so lucky.

_Because I’m an immortal demon who feeds on sexual energy to survive, and I take the form of whatever you find to be most beautiful so you’re guaranteed to be attracted to me?_  

Somehow, James doesn’t think _that_ would go over too well, so he pulls Darren down into a deep kiss instead. The weight pressing him into the bed is comforting and he smiles against Darren’s lips, biting him gently there.

Darren eventually pulls away, and he honestly looks overwhelmed. It makes James laugh, soft and pleased, and his thumb traces Darren’s cheek, scratching in his beard. 

“Ok big boy, I want you to go down on me.”

Darren’s eyebrows shoot up and he gazes down at James hungrily.

“Go on, make me come.” James says softly, and he can’t help the smirk that graces his lips. “I _dare_ you.”

Those eyes burn again, smouldering with the fire of a challenge, and Darren’s tongue darts out to wet his lips. Ahh, men and their competitive spirit, they’re so damn easy to work with, so _suggestible_.

Darren shuffles down, taking his time, his fingers exploring James’ body until he’s settled between his legs. His fingers trail over the soft skin of James’ inner thighs, almost reverently, as if he wants to savour every second of the contact. 

As he slowly slides James’ panties off, he makes a soft, appreciative noise at the fact that the fabric is already wet. There’s the soft noise of the panties hitting the floor, a pair of dark eyes staring up at him and— _oh_.

The pad of Darren’s thumb is teasing his clit and _ok_ , that’s real fuckin’ nice. It gets James’ breath to hitch, makes him automatically arch back to get more contact. Darren seems to get the message, and he leans forward to flatten his tongue against James’ entrance, buries his nose in light pubic hair.

James feels hot all over, like his body can’t decide which sensations to focus on. His fingers unerringly snake their way into Darren’s hair and he uses it as leverage to pull him closer. He can still feel Darren’s tongue exploring his cunt, and it’s _hot_ and _wet;_   _exactly_ what his body had been crying out for the past few days. His breath stutters, and a soft moan slips past his lips when Darren flicks his tongue, teasing his clit with enough fervour that James feels his entire body shake. 

James looks across to see himself in the mirror as he comes; a deep flush staining his cheeks and his hair all messed-up as it fans out around him, his knees drawn up and his back arched off the bed, one hand tangled in Darren’s hair to hold him close as he shudders and whines.

It’s a good orgasm, a _really_ fucking good orgasm.

He feels relaxed and sated as he comes down from his high, body thrumming with that tantalising energy. But it just isn’t enough. He wants _more_.

Darren is grinning up at him, smug as the cat that caught the canary, and he pretends to wave to his adoring crowd. “Who’s the man, huh? _Darren’s_ the man!”

“Oh, shut _up_ ,” James snorts and he pulls Darren up so he can kiss him.

If the fire wasn’t raging before, it sure as hell is now, because James can _taste_ himself on Darren’s tongue, and holy fuck is that just _too much_ to deal with _._

“I want you inside me,” James murmurs and he hears Darren groan before scrambling to grab a bottle of lube from his bedside drawer.

“I want you to know I’m not normally like this,” Darren huffs, cheeks flushed with chagrin. James quirks an eyebrow at him, and he continues, “like— _Jesus_ , like I’m some kind of blushing virgin. _God_ , there’s something about you that makes me go crazy.”

“Mmm.” James grins over at him, more pleased than he’d care to admit. His fingers trail slowly up his toned leg, stopping at that place where he desperately wants to be touched. “I’m told I have that effect on people.”

“No shit, honey.” Darren shakes his head in disbelief, but he’s already squirting lube into his palm and warming it between his fingers.

When he’s finally hovering over James again, Darren leans down to kiss him. It’s softer than the rest, not anything that would make his more voracious side flare up, but still welcome all the same.

That is, until James feels Darren’s slick fingers teasing at his entrance, and that hunger suddenly surges back in a wave so intense that it almost knocks all the air from his lungs. Darren presses one finger inside of him, curling it just right to have James arching closer to him, grip on his back like iron as he presses his nose to that space just behind Darren’s ear, gasping against the warm skin.

A second finger soon joins the first, and James feels like he might pass out. _God_ , he missed this; missed the intoxicating feeling of slowly being stretched open, the fullness of it. 

“You like that, baby?” Darren purrs, and it’s so close to James’ ear that James can barely muster a weak nod and a choked, half-noise. 

And then Darren finds his g-spot, starts massaging there, and the sensation builds and spreads throughout his body.

Before he really knows it, James has flipped Darren over, pressing him down into the mattress as he reaches across to grab the abandoned bottle of lube and warm some in his hands.

Darren gasps at the sudden shift, and then he fucking _moans_ as James gets a hand on him. James watches his eyes, wants to savour all the emotions that flicker through them as he gives him a few good pumps to get him ready. He’d never admit it, but it feels fucking _great_ to know that Darren was pretty much all the way there without James even having touched him.

Despite his admitted lack of self-control tonight, Darren still seems to have some sense, because he reaches into the bedside table and pulls out a condom.

James almost laughs, because STI’s and pregnancy won’t be a problem when sleeping with an incubus, but he’s happy that Darren sticks to safe sex practices anyway. James takes the little packet from him, ripping it open and deftly rolling the condom on. He has to smirk at Darren’s semi-awed reaction to his efficiency. 

James shuffles up a bit, one hand resting on Darren’s chest to support himself as he takes his dick in hand and presses the flushed head to his entrance. The rational part of his brain tells him to take it slow, but  _Hungry James_ isn’t the best at listening to that part.

When he sinks down onto Darren’s cock with a low moan, Darren muffles a groan against his throat, fingers spread on James’ hips and ass, holding him firmly as James rocks his hips down until they’re pressed flush together. It’s slow and sensual, filling James up completely before he pulls all the way out and pushes in again. His eyes remain squeezed shut because he doesn’t know whether he can trust himself to not cry at the feeling he’s been craving for days on end.

James can’t help but fall into the erotic rhythm, moving with Darren like his body had always been crafted specifically to do this; the true essence of a sex demon.

Darren leans up, one arm on the bed to steady himself as his other winds around James’ back to press their bodies closer together, and he leans down to capture one of James’ nipples between his lips and _suck_.

_Holy motherfucking shit_.

One of James’ hands finds its way into Darren’s hair, fingers tangled in long brown locks of hair, and he gives it an experimental tug just to see how he’ll react. He swears he almost hears Darren growl. _Oh._

“I see— _fuck_ , I see that your mouth is useful for more than chatting me up, huh?” James gasps.

“We aim to please,” Darren chuckles—low and husky—before kissing his way over James’ breasts and trailing marks along his neck and shoulders.

That’s when they shift, only a fraction of an inch or so, but the new angle hits _all_ the right spots.

James can’t stifle the moan that rips its way from his lips as his g-spot is suddenly being pounded full-force. He throws an arm around Darren’s shoulder to steady himself as he starts to meet him in his thrusts.

The slap of skin-against-skin is _obscene_ , and it fills the entire room until James can’t hear anything other than the sounds of their fucking.

That’s what really does him in, the feeling of nothing but the two of them trapped in this moment. He keens as he comes for the second time tonight, burying his face against Darren’s neck as he clenches around him. 

It's like a wave of pleasure that starts at the tip of his toes and rolls its way up his entire body until he’s a quivering mess in Darren’s lap, even as he jolts with another hit to his sweet spot.

Darren comes too, with a choked gasp and a bruising grip on James’ back that settles into a pleased petting as he finally stills inside of him.

They collapse together like that—a mass of hot, sweaty skin—and it’s all James can do to try and remember how to breathe for a while.

It’s a weird feeling for James, yet one he’s intimately acquainted with. The physical exertion has worn him out, but at the same time, he feels more vibrant than he has for days.

“Well…” Darren starts, but trails off because he sounds like he just ran a marathon. He clears his throat, gasping quietly as he presses a kiss to James’ forehead. “ _Well_ , if I said that wasn’t the best sex of my life, I’d be lying through my teeth.”

“We aim to please,” James repeats Darren’s own words from earlier and earns a tremendous eye roll for his troubles.

James giggles, soft and happy, and he carefully sits up so Darren can shuffle out from beneath him and waddle off to the bathroom to tie off the condom.

When James pulls the messed-up covers over himself, he hums at how soft and cool the sheets feel against his bare skin. The room is really nice, now that he has a chance to take it in, with mirrored sliding doors over the wardrobe to his left. Darren seems to be going with a modern black-and-white theme, and the soft lighting really sets it off.

James almost laughs at how he was boning the guy literally five minutes ago, and now he’s admiring the décor, but the surge of sexual energy has cleared his mind and it’s racing to focus on the first thing that stands out. That thing, in this particular moment, seems to be how his skin is suddenly hypersensitive and these sheets feel like heaven on Earth. _Mmmm…_

“By all means, bask in my thousand thread count sheets,” Darren chuckles, amused, as he walks back into the room.

He yawns as he lifts up the covers and joins James in bed, warm body settling alongside him. Judging by the bleariness of his eyes, James predicts that he’s got about ten seconds of consciousness remaining. 

“Thanks for a fun time,” James murmurs, smiling at the way Darren automatically scooches closer, “I really needed that.”

“Mmm…Just you wait until tomorrow morning.” Darren smirks tiredly, settling his nose against James’ forehead, and his eyes slip closed almost immediately.

He’s out like a light within five seconds and James hears his breath even out into a deep, relaxed rhythm as he sleeps.

“If only…” James sighs, trying to hold onto the moment for just a little longer, to pretend for just a minute that he can really have any of this.

Carefully pushing Darren’s arm aside so he can move out from under him, James stands up and goes to throw his underwear and dress back on, leaving everything exactly the way it had been before he came here.

He checks himself in the mirror, notices the deep blush that still adorns his newly reinvigorated skin, how he almost glows with the amount of energy thrumming through his veins. _Ethereal_ is the best word that comes to mind—a picture of pure perfection—and yet, it’s merely an apparition; not him, not _James_.

He exhales and turns on his heel to lean over the comatose form of Darren. There’s no need to worry about waking him; after sex with an incubus, he’ll be dead to the world until at least mid-morning.

He brushes away a stray hair covering Darren’s face and his mouth thins as he settles in to do what needs to be done.

It’s simple, really. Almost elegant. A quick swipe of his fingers across Darren’s forehead, and he feels the tips of his fingers vibrate with his magic as he erases himself from Darren’s memory.

He leaves the one-night stand, of course, leaves behind the experience of the club and the fun of meeting and hooking up with a random girl, but she’s definitely not Jamie. It’s best to not leave any trace of _The Most Gorgeous Person I’ve Ever Laid Eyes On_ ; it leads to all sorts of problems down the road. God knows James doesn’t want to have to go through _that_ ordeal all over again.

Darren will wake up tomorrow with the memory of a fun, tipsy night out, and some nice sex with a girl who was gone by the time he woke up. He might be a bit disappointed, but he’ll get up and move on with his life. He’ll probably do the exact same thing tomorrow night, to be completely honest.

Take what you need and leave without a trace. Nobody gets hurt, everyone has a good time. It’s a win-win scenario.

_It’s for the best._

James chews on his lip for a second more, but he eventually forces himself to stand. There’s nothing left for him here.

He waits by the elevator as the little numbers light up to indicate the floors, and it _dings_ softly in the empty hallway. As the doors slide shut once again, and the soft whir of the descent makes itself known to James’ heightened hearing, he pulls his phone out and manages to snap a selfie just before Jamie fades from view.

He’s back; every inch of his true form visible to his own eyes once again, although any human will continue to see him as their ideal of beauty.

Long, sleek horns sprout from his head, his dark hair pulled up in a loose bun, and there’s a few wispy little curls that have escaped at the nape of his neck. He’s wearing the same smart casual clothes that he originally wore out to the club.

His irises have shifted back to black, and it always surprises him how that change, alongside his formidable horns, makes him look truly demonic. For the sake of the people he comes into contact with, he’s glad that they at least see something beautiful when they look at him.

Calling an Uber is quick enough, and James settles into the back seat, enjoying the comforting silence even as he ignores the awed looks he can tell are being thrown his way in the rear-view mirror. 

Their apartment is on the other side of the city, so he settles into his own thoughts, letting his mind drift as the shining lights of a city that never really sleeps pass by him in a blur.

These quiet moments to himself are always surreal to James. It’s almost a blend of the melancholy of a mind that has so much to ponder, yet there’s always that reverence of life itself, of how James got here to this very moment in place and time, the journey it took to reach it.

He’s just got to Russia when he’s startled from his musing by a quiet cleared throat. He startles back to reality and realises that the cab is idling out the front of his apartment. He sends the driver an apologetic smile as he pays the fare and steps out onto the sidewalk. Mental drifting is always more of a problem when his mind is hopped up on the incubus equivalent of speed. 

As James steps through the door, the lights are all on, which means that Brett is back from his nightly sexcapade. He can hear soft music drifting in from the living area, the crooning voice of Marvin Gaye lamenting about ‘sexual healing’, and if he really tries, he can just make out the underlying crackle of the record player going.

And, despite how fucking _cliché_ the song choice is, James is completely fine with it.

What he’s _not_ fine with, however, is walking around the corner to find Brett _buck-ass nude_ in the middle of their living room. Fucking _hell_.

“Jesus  _Christ_ , Brett,” James groans, not throwing a hand over his eyes in time to miss the shit-eating grin that Brett sends his way. It’s almost enough to convince him to commit murder. “Put it away, asshole!” 

“ _Puhleese_ ,” Brett snorts, and James hears him moving over towards the kitchen counter, where the smell of chicken and pasta is wafting towards him, “you’ve been seeing this junk for a hundred and fifty years now.”

“ _Exactly_ ,” James sighs, abandoning his futile attempt to retain any scrap of his innocence, “and it still scars me in the year of our Lord, 2016.”

“ _Prude_.” 

“ _Hussy_ ,” he shoots back, and he can hear Brett cackling as he disappears into his room, reappearing a minute later with his body, _thankfully_ , fully clothed.

Brett leans over the island, scooping up a bit of pasta and twirling it on his fork as he eyes James up and down.

“You’re looking better,” he notes, popping the pasta in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “You got some, then?”

“Yeah,” James grumbles, falling into the closest bar stool, “I got some...”

Brett raises an eyebrow at James’ tone.

“Hasn’t improved your mood, though.”

James only glares.

“ _Oh_ , so this is your existential _brooding_ again.” Brett smirks, grabbing another bite of pasta.

“I don’t _brood_ , asshole,” James growls.

“When you come home to your roommate and wonder _‘what does it all mean?’_ , you’re definitely brooding. That’s, like, the legit definition of brooding.”

Another snarky retort won’t get him anywhere, so James settles for changing the subject.

“You had a good night then?”

Brett grins, holding up three fingers, and James has to fight the urge to roll his eyes.

“I should’ve guessed from the fact you were naked when I walked in the door.” 

“What can I say, my man”—Brett holds his hands up—“I’m just high on life.”

“And a hell of a lot of fucking,” James adds.

Brett gives him finger guns. “That too.”

Brett finishes off his pasta and chucks the plate in the dishwasher. Then he’s turning back to James and it’s all serious again. _Great_.

“No more bullshit,” Brett murmurs, “what’s your problem?”

James sighs, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear. Brett is looking right through him, the same way he’s perfected over the last century. There’s no use in lying to him or trying to dodge the question. If there’s one thing that Brett always gets, it’s what he wants, and James knows he won’t let him have any peace until he starts talking.

“The guy I went home with tonight, he was…” James pauses, “…nice. It was nice. He was funny and handsome, and we had some really great sex, and then it was…over. Just like the last one, and the one before that and the one before _that_. It’s always the fucking same. I go out, I have sex, I come home. Nothing changes. Two hundred years of this and how many partners have I had? Thirty thousand? _More?_ Thirty fucking _thousand_ people who don’t even know what I am, what I even look like. What’s the use in everyone thinking I’m drop-dead gorgeous if they’re not even seeing _me?”_ James sighs, staring at the incubus across from him, at the only friend he truly has in this world. “I—I just hate feeling like every fucking thing about me is a _lie_. I don’t even know who I _am_ anymore.” 

Brett had remained silent throughout James’ little tirade, and his dark eyes are solemn as he rounds the table, pulling James into a tight embrace.

“You’re my  _best friend_ , James. They might not be able to see you, but _I_ can, and you’re fucking beautiful to me, understand?”

“You know it’s not the same…” James mumbles but he rests his chin on Brett’s shoulder and just lets himself be held.

“I know it’s not,” Brett sighs, stepping back to hold James’ shoulders at arm’s length, “ _but_ , wallowing in self-pity isn’t gonna do a goddamn thing about it. You’ve just gotta move past this and start enjoying life for what it is. How many people in the world have visited the amount of countries you have? Speak the amount of languages you do? We got to experience world events _firsthand_ that nobody alive can even fathom. Never forget that.”

“We don’t forget anything, Brett,” James rolls his eyes.

“Oh, right. How could I forget?” Brett smirks at him and earns a smack for his trouble.

“Firstly, that was both a wound to my body and to my pride, and secondly, stop being so egotistic. There are starving children in Africa who can’t afford to eat and you’re whining about people thinking you’re _too_ beautiful.”

James gives him a playful shove.

“That was for the starving children in Africa.” James smirks. “Now, keep it down because I want to sleep.”

“You literally _just_ fucked a guy an hour ago; you won’t need to sleep for three days.” Brett groans, collapsing onto the sofa like some Hollywood diva. “Come on, I’m _booored!”_

“Firstly, you were just complaining about me whining, and now look at you. You’re five hundred years old, Brett, not _three_.”

James barely dodges the cushion that’s sent flying his way. 

“My point _exactly_.” James laughs as Brett pouts. “And secondly, I _like_ sleep. Gives me a break from you for a few blessed hours.”

“Party pooper,” Brett grumbles.

“I’m sure you can find _something_ productive to do at three a.m. The world is your oyster, dude, or however that saying goes. Learn another language or some shit.”

“ _Boring_ ,” Brett says, staring dejectedly at the ceiling, “there’s not many of them left…”

“You know…you could always hack the police scanners and stop a crime in progress,” James chortles, but he immediately curses himself when Brett bolts up with a gleam in his eye that doesn’t bode well for anyone’s safety.

“For the love of God, Brett, I was _kidding!”_ James yelps, watching in utter dismay as Brett gets up and makes a beeline for his room, “You don’t even know how to _hack_ , you motherfucker!”

“Three o’clock is as good a time as any to learn,” Brett whoops over his shoulder. James can still hear him laughing as his door clicks shut.

_Crap_. He’s gonna need to check the news tomorrow to make sure the entire city isn’t up in flames.

Standing alone in the middle of their abandoned living room, James decides to push the thoughts of a potential cyber-crime aside until the morning, seeking out the comfort of his own space. 

He sighs a breath of relief as he closes the door to his room, sprawling out on his bed and letting his body relax as he sinks into the plush mattress. 

His phone buzzes in his pocket, reminding him of its presence, and he fishes it out to check the notifications.

There’s a Snap from Brett late last night, and when he opens it, he’s not surprised to find Brett’s form for the night—a short brunette with curls and glasses—grinning wide as she holds the phone at arm’s length to capture two men and a woman covering her with kisses and insistent touches. 

James rolls his eyes as he exits the app and opens up his photo gallery. He finds the selfie he had snapped tonight and saves it in the ‘2016’ folder with all his others.

He knows that he really should sleep, but his mind gets side-tracked and he soon finds himself scrolling through photo after photo, year by year. 

It’s incredible, really, all the forms he’s taken. From guys to girls, young and old, thin and fat, short and tall. There’s such a startling _diversity_ between them, and they’re all human in their own way. 

The same with the partners; coming in every shape and size under the sun. James wouldn’t admit it to Brett, but he’s genuinely interested in what each of these people find to be most beautiful and why.

So _many_ smiling faces. He’d been happy when he was those people, and he’d made other people happy, too.

But, then again, not one of these people knew what James was or how he really looked.

Disappointed with himself, James throws his phone onto the bed and turns his back to it, pulling the covers over his body.

_No more brooding_ , he tells himself.

That’s always a lot easier said than done, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 Soundtrack: [TRNDSTTR (Lucian Remix) by Black Coast and M. Maggie](https://open.spotify.com/track/5LZQ5s0kRZS9nBSd1xLK7U?si=ILEZuD64RPeyFdOOPaobFQ), [Urgent by Foreigner](https://open.spotify.com/track/08onVqQ8YicJ98Ycm1qoLf?si=2XgsKCgERxq65fFnhoLZig) and [Ex's & Oh's by Elle King](https://open.spotify.com/track/70eDxAyAraNTiD6lx2ZEnH?si=n4ycAZHfS2OGQn-VdRiCRw).


	2. Close your eyes and sing to the world tonight

The apartment is empty when James wakes up, and he shuffles into the kitchen to brew himself a cup of coffee. The midday news programs aren’t running any stories that look to be caused by the mayhem of a bored incubus, so that’s _something_. That being said, he’s not holding out too much hope for the evening broadcasts.

The news quickly grows boring as it becomes evident that no such catastrophic event will arise, so James flops down on the couch and switches over to Netflix, playing the first movie that he spots in his recommended list.

That movie, embarrassingly enough, happens to be _High School Musical_ , but James is well past the point of caring about the distinction between teen movies and adult ones. There often aren’t many differences, in his weathered opinion.

There’s nothing like a bunch of teens prancing around and singing about their angst to take your mind off your troubles. The storyline leaves a lot to be desired, but the music is surprisingly catchy, and it serves to keep his mind occupied for at least a few hours.

By the time the credits are rolling, James’ brain feels like it might implode. The second movie automatically starts playing, but it really just becomes background noise as James sets himself to tidying up everything in the apartment out of pure force of habit. After the entire place is spotless, he decides he may as well reorganise their vinyl collection for the millionth time, just for the sake of his sanity.

Six o’clock rolls around at a snail’s pace and James might very well stab something— _or himself_ —if he has to be confined to this apartment for another fucking second. He grabs his keys and scribbles a quick note to Brett before he’s darting out the door.

The sun is hanging low in the sky as he descends the steps two at a time and James just starts walking, hands in his pockets, as the world slowly slips towards twilight around him. 

James is mostly lost in his own thoughts, so he doesn’t really register where his feet are taking him until he’s standing outside the gates to a dog park. He’s come to this one a few times—he recognises the weathered signage—and it’s only then that he realises he’s walked for almost an hour non-stop.

As he looks across the expanse of grass and trees, James can see a few dogs still making use of the dying light, and he wanders over to a spot that looks freshly mown and free of dog poop, plopping down onto the grass with a heavy sigh.

No sooner has he closed his eyes and relaxed into the chirping of crickets and the quiet rumble of passing cars in the distance that James hears pounding footfalls approach him, and he opens them just in time to brace himself for a big, fluffy golden retriever to crash into his arms.

He lets out a noise he’s not proud of, halfway between a yelp and a shriek, as the overexcited dog bowls him over and starts snuffling around his face. It’s so out of the blue and James can’t help but laugh as he gives his new friend a scratch behind the ears.

“Oh my _God_ , Lucky!” a young female voice rings out, getting closer by the second. “Calm down, you psycho! You’re gonna give this poor lady a heart…attack…”

James looks up and realises that the girl has just seen his face, and she seems a little awestruck as she stares at him with her mouth still frozen open in shock.

Lucky, apparently, barks when he’s no longer the centre of attention, and James chuckles as he gives him a few long pats that start by his head and end all the way down where his tail is swishing like crazy in his excitement.

The girl—in her early-twenties, by the looks of it—seems to finally shake off her surprise and she rushes to apologise for her dog nearly taking James out. 

“I’m so sorry about him!” She grimaces. “He gets so excitable around new people and the poor boy doesn’t know his own strength.”

“S’all good.” James smiles, lavishing affection on the dopey pup in his lap. “I love dogs, always have.” 

“Oh!” The girl perks up, taking a seat beside James on the grass. “Do you have one?”

James’ face falls, and he doesn’t manage to plaster the smile back on it before the girl notices.

“I, uh…I did have one, a long time ago,” James murmurs, absently petting at the retriever who has twisted his way around so his belly can get some attention as well. “She was a little corgi. Her name was Ein.”

“I’m so sorry…” the girl apologises, and she stares across at James, eyes troubled.

“It’s ok,” James assures her, “she lived a good, long life. An excitable little thing, that one, just like Lucky here.”

True to form, the golden retriever in his lap starts wiggling like crazy as James smothers him with more pets.

The girl laughs, and when he looks back to her, he can see that she’s got a deep blush staining high on her cheeks. She’s very pretty, with fiery red hair held up in a ponytail, a smattering of freckles over her cheeks, and beautiful blue eyes that seem so full of emotion.

James could make the decision right this second, take the form of whatever she’s seeing in front of her—obviously a woman judging by her earlier comment—and go home with her. They’d have a fun night together and he’d be gone by the morning, with only Lucky to remember anything of him. 

It just doesn’t seem _right_ , though…

He doesn’t even know her _name_ , for God’s sake, but something about this girl feels too _pure_ to even think of leaving her with a one-night stand she’ll hardly remember tomorrow morning. She deserves love, _romance_. She deserves to be swept off her feet by a wonderful girl who will wake her up each morning with a sleepy kiss and a mumbled, ‘Morning beautiful’.

She deserves more than James can ever offer her.

“I’m sorry,” James sighs, and Lucky bursts into a flurry of movement as he stands and dusts himself off. “I…I should probably get going…”

The girl seems a little bewildered at James’ sudden insistence on leaving, but she stands too, perhaps looking a little disappointed.

They stand in silence for a few seconds, with only Lucky’s contented panting to keep them company, and James watches as the various light posts throughout the park flicker to life. As he turns to go, the girl reaches for his arm.

“Wait…I…” She hesitates, looking a little forlorn, as those beautiful eyes meet James’. “Did you maybe wanna have coffee some time?”

James just smiles sadly. It’s such an innocent request and even _that’s_ beyond his ability to grant.

He turns back to the girl, smoothing a stray curl behind her ear, and he focuses on her eyes to make sure he gets this right.

“ _I’m not the one for you. You’ll meet your soulmate one day and they’ll treat you like the queen you deserve to be. Wait for them, and don’t settle for anything less, because I guarantee you’ll find them, and you’ll wonder how you ever considered someone else._ ”

The girl’s eyes grow a little glassy for a moment but then she’s nodding back at James and she seems more confident by the second.

“I… _Yeah_. Yeah, ok.” She smiles at James and the city lights are reflecting in her eyes, making them sparkle with so much unbridled _optimism_ that his heart skips a beat. 

James might be on his way to Hell, but he’ll be damned if this beautiful stranger in the dog park doesn’t get her happy ending.

He bids her goodnight and gives Lucky one last scratch behind the ears before he’s off. The night has well and truly fallen now. James doesn’t hurry as he strolls along the sidewalks in the general direction of home.

This is when Los Angeles really comes alive—at night—but in a very different way than the daytime. All the heat and mugginess of the day sort of tapers off and the cool night breeze seems to breathe life into everything again. The lights come up, people emerge from their places of refuge, and it’s like the city collectively joins one big party. 

As he’s wandering back towards home, James finds himself nearing one of the well-known nightlife districts. He’s still buzzing from his little matchmaking encounter in the dog park and he fed well enough the night before that it’ll probably be at least two days before he’s craving more energy, so he almost convinces himself to walk the long way around and head straight home.

The only thing about that, however, is that he’ll just get home and find himself in the same position as he was all afternoon, pent-up with nothing interesting to do or see. _And_ , now that he thinks about it, there’s a new club that just opened up near here that everyone is absolutely _raving_ about. He’d been meaning to check it out, but hadn’t found the time yet and this might be his chance to scope out the joint before he’s really ravenous.

A drink or two and maybe a bit of socialising; there are definitely worse ways to spend a night. With his mind made up, James turns right, skipping across the street and heading towards the faint sounds of music and laughter in the distance.

The nightclub’s reputation certainly precedes it; the line for entry is stretching all the way around the building and down the street. _God_ , if you were normal, it would take _hours_ to get in there.

James isn’t normal, though.

As he approaches the entrance, James hears quiet gasps and murmured exclamations from the waiting crowd. He sidles up to the bouncer at the door—a big, burly man with an impressive moustache, kitted up in a tailored black suit—and the man looks James up and down with wide eyes.

Remarkably, his obvious attraction to James’ visage isn’t enough to overwhelm his security training, and he manages to remain steadfast. _Impressive_ , James thinks to himself. Already, he knows this man was trained better than about eighty percent of the bouncers in the city.

All respect aside, James is still getting into this club.

“ _VIP_ ,” he murmurs quietly. The bouncer blinks a few times and nods, immediately pulling the heavy silk rope aside to let James pass.

“Yes, ma’am,” he concedes, “have an enjoyable evening.” 

“Thank you.” James smiles, giving the man an appreciative nod as he steps past him. He tries his best to not giggle at the soft buzz of confusion that ripples through the crowd behind him, likely from the people who are currently seeing him as a male and are thoroughly bewildered as to why the bouncer just referred to him as _‘ma’am’_.

The bass is thumping through the floor as James makes his way down a short corridor that opens into an opulent room, brightly lit with neon blues and purples.  A long bar is set against the opposite wall, thirsty patrons ordering all manner of colourful and quirky beverages. Privacy nooks and booths hug the walls; furnished in plush leather and subdued mood lighting, they offer a place for a secluded catch up or maybe a bit of frisky action, if one were so inclined.

As James steps further into the room, he realises that this is the upper level, and a grand staircase leads downstairs to a packed dance floor, raised DJ booth, and more bars and seating to service the crowds. James leans against the ornate railing, allowing himself to soak in the atmosphere. 

_I've been here all night,_

_I've been here all day,_

_And boy, got me walkin' side to side._

It seems to James that the reviews were correct. This place is _incredible_ , easily the best nightclub he’s visited in LA, and James has undoubtedly been to every single one that’s worth its salt by now.

_I know you got a bad reputation,_

_Doesn't matter, 'cause you give me temptation._

The only thing that could make the experience better is a drink, so James wanders over to the bar in the corner and orders himself a Sex on the Beach, handing over his card to the server as another mixologist deftly assembles his drink for him.

_Tonight I'm making deals with the devil,_

_And I know it's gonna get me in trouble._  

Although it’s tempting to join the revellers downstairs, James takes the opportunity to laze against the railing, sipping at his cocktail—which has been prepared _excellently_ —though he wouldn’t expect any less from an establishment of this calibre.

A quiet voice from behind him _just_ makes itself known over the loud music. 

“Sorry dude, but…you’re, _uh_ , you’re _gorgeous._ ”

James smiles to himself. He may as well have fun with it.

“Tell me about it, stud,” he says, but as he turns to face the man behind him, he stutters to a halt, the ‘d’ sound faltering off halfway through so it sounds like he either forgot how to speak, or he’s having a stroke. And with the way his heart just thudded unevenly, James might very well be going into cardiac arrest.

For the first time in two hundred and fifteen years, James is the one that’s dumbstruck.

The guy _had_ been smiling, but his brows turn down and that smile drops immediately as he shows genuine concern that the person he’s chatting up might literally die right in front of him.

“Jesus, dude, are you ok?” he frets, hands tentatively hovering over James in case he needs any assistance.

James nods weakly at him, because he’s not sure he can trust his voice in his current condition, but he manages to take a few deep breaths that calm everything down a bit. When he finally remembers the drink in his hand, James quickly takes an admittedly-larger-than-is-probably-wise swig to get his brain back to a base functioning level.

“I’m good, thanks,” James croaks, even though he knows he sounds anything _but_.

The guy isn’t convinced— _rightfully so_ —and he carefully rests a hand on James’ shoulder and manoeuvres him to the closest booth that’s unoccupied.

James _should_ be focusing on how grateful he is that this man is concerned for his wellbeing. What he’s _actually_ focusing on is how fucking  _nice_ the guy’s hands are, how perfect they feel on his skin.

What the actual _fuck_ is this this fever dream?!

The man is still looking at him worriedly, his dark eyes flickering around James’ face searching for anything wrong, and something about that makes James’ cheeks flame.

“Are you overheating?” the guy asks, “you’re looking really red, dude.”

James doesn’t know how to tell him it’s not that at all.

The guy is _stunning_ , with brunet hair that has just a few blond streaks towards the tips from where it had obviously been bleached. His brows are dark and shapely, angular in a way that frames his brown eyes and those long eyelashes perfectly. He’s got a little moustache growing in, and just a hint of stubble, and _holy fucking shit_ , his lips look _irresistible_.

“Dude, I’m like, really fucking worried about you right now,” the man stammers, looking over his shoulder at the bar, “Should I call someone? Or a fucking _ambulance?”_

It’s at this point that James finally comprehends the fact that he hasn’t uttered a word for at least a full minute.

“No, _please_ ,” he manages to blurt out, “I’m fine, _really._ ”

The guy doesn’t seem all that confident in James’ self-assessment, but he’s finally got him talking again, so he relaxes back into the booth. 

“What happened there, man?” he asks, “I thought I lost you for a bit.”

“I was just surprised, is all,” James mumbles, blinking dumbly at the beautiful stranger sitting across from him.

“By _me?”_ The guy giggles incredulously, eyes crinkling up in a way that’s somehow both endearing and hot.

“Yeah…” James trails off, “you’re so… _pretty_.”

The man’s laughter falters off with a soft, “ _Oh_.”

And it’s such a perplexed little _‘Oh’_ , as if this man genuinely doesn’t believe he possesses looks good enough to take someone’s breath away. Something about that fact makes James feel like crying.

The guy hesitantly offers his hand, and his own cheeks are flushed now. 

“Aleks; with a ‘ks’, not an ‘x’. Aleks Marchant.”

James looks at this beautiful man in front of him, raising his own hand to catch Aleks’ and shake it. 

“James Wilson,” he decides, using the surname he chose for himself sometime in the early in the nineteenth century.

Aleks smiles and it’s like the sun bursting out from behind the clouds.

A sudden thought gets lodged at the forefront of his mind, and James studies Aleks a little harder, curious.

“How are you here?” James asks him, and Aleks quirks an eyebrow, confused. “Sorry, what I meant is, you must be important, right? Some celebrity or famous person. Did you see the fucking  _line_ out the front? I doubt that they’re letting just anyone walk through the door.”

“ _Oh_.” Aleks laughs, blushing again, and he peeks over his shoulder to where they can just barely see the throng of dancing partygoers downstairs. “Nah, dude, I’m not anyone special.” 

James doesn’t believe that for a _second_ , but he allows Aleks to finish what he was saying.

“My buddy Trevor has been trying to break into this place since it opened.” Aleks chuckles, playing with his hands. “He had this master plan to edit the DJ’s Wikipedia page and set us up as his key assistants. I thought it was stupid, but you don’t let a friend make mistakes alone, so I got suckered into following him along. Turns out, they took one look at our ID’s and the edited page and waved us right fucking through.”

Aleks buries his head in his hands, but James can see him shaking with giggles. “He’ll be reminding me of this story until the day I die. _Fuck_.”

James stares at Aleks incredulously. He can’t help the smile that inches its way onto his lips.

“That is…that is _so_ fucking stupid that he thought that would work, and _so_ fucking amazing that it actually _did_ work.” James wheezes. _“Oh my God!”_

“I _know_ ,” Aleks damn near trills. “Crime of the century, right?” 

“A-Grade,” James agrees.

Their laughter peters out, and the lapse is filled with some dubstep mix in the background.

They both look to the dancing strangers again and suddenly James doesn’t feel any desire to join them. He wouldn’t leave Aleks’ side for anything.

“Trev’s probably livin’ it up down there. Just turned twenty-one so he’s making up for lost time. He lives for this sort of thing. Not really my scene, though.” He sighs, scratching behind his neck absently. “Don’t get me wrong, it really is _incredible_ , but I’m not much of a socialite.”

James clears his throat quietly, self-conscious for the first time in years. “Uh…Did you—did you maybe want to get out of here then?” 

Aleks meets his nervous gaze, mouth slack, and for the first time in almost a century, James is terrified that someone might decline his offer. 

For one short second, Aleks’ gaze flickers to James’ lips, and he starts blushing again as he looks back to the crowd one last time. 

“I… _Yeah_. Yeah, that sounds great, dude,” Aleks says and James’ heart skips a beat.

Aleks stands abruptly, motioning with his hands for James to stay put, and James blinks up at him, confused and admittedly a little nervous.

“Just…wait here for me, _please_ ,” Aleks says, already backing away slowly, “I want to make sure that Trevor will be fine, and then I’ll come right back, yeah?”

James nods and tries his best to will a smile to his lips, but it’s probably a pretty weak attempt. Aleks takes one last look at him and then he’s disappearing down the stairs and into the throng of dancing bodies.

James buries his face in his hands and just tries to breathe; it feels like he might be having a panic attack. Aleks promised he’d come back, and James believes him absolutely, but something in James’ gut twists that hope into anguish. He had trusted his gut instinct for his entire life, and it had never let him down before. Right now, something is telling him he’ll never see those eyes again, that face.

One minute turns into two, two into five, and by the ten minute mark, James can’t hold back the shaking in his hands, how he feels pins and needles racing up and down his skin, and he’s fairly sure that he’s about to throw up.

_Maybe he should have compelled him?_ He could’ve told Aleks not to leave and Aleks wouldn’t have had a choice in the matter.

_No!_ Even the thought of forcing Aleks to do anything against his will makes James feel sicker than he already does. If it was his choice to leave, then James will just have to respect tha—

“ _James?”_

James flinches, and he looks up at Aleks in astonishment.

“You ok?”

James stands, reaching out to touch Aleks’ tattooed arm, and he feels warm skin beneath his fingertips. 

“You came back…” he breathes.

“Of course, I did.” Aleks giggles. “I told you I would.”

James wants to kiss him.

So he does. 

He leans forward, presses close to Aleks’ chest as he brings their lips together. It’s hesitant at first, when Aleks obviously isn’t expecting it and freezes, but then his mind catches up with him and his lips move with James’ like they were always meant to perfectly fit right there. It’s soft and tender, and it could have lasted two seconds or two hours, but to James it feels like an eternity.

When James blinks his eyes open again, he’s only a few inches away from Aleks’ eyes, and it’s like staring into a pool of rich, melted chocolate.

Aleks smiles. James smiles too. They probably stand there in the middle of the room looking like complete idiots for God knows how long.

“Let’s go?” James asks, and Aleks nods, breathing quietly in that small space between them.

Unsurprisingly, the line still stretches on for days as James walks out with Aleks by his side. He hears a muffled sigh of disappointment from the crowd as they see him with a partner, and for the first time in decades he’s genuinely annoyed at their presence.

He grabs Aleks by the hand, walking with him further down the street and away from prying eyes. Aleks’ hand is a little sweaty, but if it means he’s just as nervous as James is, it makes James feel a hell of a lot better about tonight. 

“I should tell you something…” James hesitates, looking down the road in the general direction of his apartment. “We can’t go back to my place. I have _no_ idea what my roommate is getting up to, and it likely spells disaster.” 

“No problem.” Aleks laughs, and the neon signage above them is gleaming in his eyes.

“If we get a cab, I can pay for it,” James assures him, but Aleks just snorts as he steps aside and the lights on the black Camaro parked next to them flash twice with a triumphant little whistle.

“You’ve gotta be fucking with me…” James gapes. Aleks just smirks as he holds the passenger-side door open, closing it behind him when James eventually collects himself and slides inside. 

The interior is luxurious and well-maintained, and James can’t help but frown at Aleks as he slips into the driver’s side, “Oh, nobody special, _huh?”_

“ _What?”_ Aleks chuckles at James’ grumbling, and the engine roars to life around them as he turns the key. “I’m really not! My family were feeling generous and I wanted to treat myself a little. Can’t blame a guy for wanting a sick car. And you _know_ the girl’s all love it.”

“Oh, hardy har!” James gripes, turning towards the window and staring out at the city lights flashing past them as he tries his best to hide his smile, “I’m positively _swooning!”_

“Bitches always fall for a nice ride,” Aleks muses, and James smacks him.

They fall into companionable silence for the rest of the trip, and James is thankful to know that Aleks is just as comfortable with the break as he is.

Aleks’ apartment is in a nice area of the city, though it’s a good forty-minute drive to James’ place. They slip into the undercover parking, and Aleks swings into his designated parking space with the ease of someone who has performed this manoeuvre for years.

They make their way over to the elevator and Aleks groans when he sees the yellow sign pasted there.

“What is it?” James asks, squinting closer at the words.

“I completely forgot that they always do their elevator maintenance late at night, when people are less likely to be using them,” Aleks gripes. “I hope you’re up for a bit of a trek.”

“I bet I can get there faster than you.” James smirks, and he sees that gleam in Aleks’ eyes.

James is faster, _of course_ , but Aleks doesn’t tell him the level number, so he accidentally overshoots one and needs to race back down again. They’re giggling and breathless as they make it to Aleks’ door, _405_.

“ _Damn_ , you’re _fast!”_ Aleks gasps, at the same time as James bursts out, “You have a familiar advantage!” 

They collapse against the wall, laughing together, and it’s the freest James can remember feeling in a very long time. He looks over at Aleks, and he really wants to kiss him, wants to do so much more than that. 

Aleks finally catches his breath and he fumbles for his keys, twisting them in the lock to let James into the apartment. Aleks follows, flicking on the lights behind him, and James gets to absorb the room in front of him.

The décor is nice, sort of halfway between fancy and homely, and it makes the place seem warm and inviting. There’s a bit of a mess in the kitchen, but apart from that, the apartment is surprisingly clean for what James assumes to be a bachelor pad. From the entry, he can see right out the back window where the glow of the city lights just peeks over the other buildings.

It looks real and lived-in. It looks like a _home_. 

James suddenly hears the skittering of claws, and he barely has time to prepare himself before a young Keeshond puppy comes skittering around the corner of the couch, yapping all the while. The pup is all over James in a second, snuffling excitedly around his shoes and jumping up to lick at his hands when James happily scratches her behind the ears. 

“ _Mishka!”_ Aleks scolds, and the puppy immediately yaps at the sound of his voice, crowding around him with her tail wagging a million miles an hour. “She’s mental, this one.”

“Mishka?” James asks, smiling up at the man, and Aleks nods absently, still watching Mishka like she might tear the apartment down. 

“Uh, yeah. It’s Russian. Means ‘teddy bear’.”

_I know_ , James is tempted to reply, but he’s not sure whether the fact he can speak countless languages—one of them being Russian—is entirely relevant. 

“Russia, huh?” James feigns innocence and Aleks’ eyes meet his eyes, nodding again. 

“Yeah. I grew up there before I came to America.”

James chuckles at Aleks and his crazy little pup. Mishka continues to sniff around his hands, occasionally skittering a few steps back like she’s been startled, then immediately racing back to James’ side, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth as she pants merrily. 

“Shit, sorry,” Aleks mumbles, sweeping around James to clear up the mess in the kitchen that James had nearly forgotten about, “I certainly wasn’t expecting company tonight.” 

“No problem.” James smiles, crouching a bit awkwardly in the entranceway as he pets Mishka all the way from her furry head to the end of her fluffy tail. “Trust me, I’ve seen a _hell of a lot_ worse than this.” 

Aleks sighs, obviously deciding to give up on the cleaning for now, and he grabs a banana from the fruit bowl on the counter and plops himself atop the bench.

“You want a banana?” he asks, holding up the one he’s currently peeling, and James can’t do anything but chuckle as he shakes his head. 

“You sure, man?” Aleks checks one more time, taking an _obscenely_ large bite from the fruit and grinning at James with little bits of banana mush in his teeth. “Is’sa gweat sourth of pottathium!”

“You know, the fact that  _that”_ —James motions to Aleks’ current situation, spurring Mishka to race over and find out what’s new—“still manages to be cute, is honestly criminal.”

Aleks manages to swallow his banana chunk, and he looks at James with some deeper curiosity in his eyes.

“Look, James, I…” He fades into silence for a few seconds, taking another another small bite of banana as he considers his next words, “I didn’t want to ask you before because I didn’t want to seem rude, but the curiosity’s killing me!” 

James frowns, but he nods his consent, reaching out absently as Mishka returns and presses her nose into his open palm, “Ask away.”

“Seriously, dude, I gotta know. What’s up with the _horns?”_

The world stops turning on its axis.

“… _what?”_ James rasps, and his throat suddenly feels like it’s sucked closed.

Aleks’ expression hasn’t changed at all, and he blinks innocently as he lifts a finger to point at a spot just above James’ head.

James had been taken by surprise, so swept up in Aleks that the illusion was all but forgotten. Aleks had seen a gorgeous guy, and James had _chosen_ him. James had now taken the form that Aleks had been seeing all night. Or, at least he _should_ have. 

James lifts one shaking hand and all he sees are the swirls of colour and intricate designs of his tattooed sleeve. _His_ tattoos. The hand travels higher, comes into contact with a beard and moustache. _Even_ higher, and he shudders when his finger brushes across the base of his right horn. 

Please, God, _no…_  

“ _Mirror_ ,” he whispers, and it’s barely audible.

Aleks’ brows crease but he points towards the big wall mirror hung on the opposite end of the living area. 

James stumbles across the room, well on his way to another panic attack, and he barely manages to avoid tangling Mishka up in his legs as he moves. He makes a small, horrified noise when the mirror confirms his suspicion. 

No gorgeous man stands in his place, with tanned skin and a toned body, it’s just… _him_.

Aleks decides to intrude on his meltdown and he pipes up from the other side of the room, “Don’t tell me you’ve decided to get self-conscious on me now.”

James turns to him, absolutely appalled, and Aleks’ smirk is what really does him in.

“Are you fucking _serious?”_ he groans. “ _This_ is what you’ve been seeing all night? And you’re _ok_ with that?”

“Uhh…yeah?” Aleks shrugs.

“But I’m an incubus!” James exclaims, “I’m supposed to be beautiful!”

“ _Ahh._ ” Aleks’ eyes light with recognition. “That explains the horns then.”

“ _NO!”_ James explodes, whirling on the man behind him like lightning and Mishka yelps, skittering back behind the couch before racing over to Aleks with her ears flattened against her head. “You don’t _understand!”_

“Ok, ok, _drama queen_ ,” Aleks placates, holding his hands up in a submissive gesture as he takes a seat on the couch. Mishka curls up with her head in his lap, ears perked up as if she’s just as intent on hearing James’ explanation. “What don’t I understand, _huh?”_  

“I’m an incubus, Aleks! A demon that feeds on sexual energy. I take the form of whatever a human finds most attractive so they’re more likely to want to sleep with me. This is my _true form_ , Aleks, you shouldn’t be seeing this! You shouldn’t be seeing _me_ …” 

Aleks is silent for a long while, studying James as he absently plays with the thick fur around Mishka’s scruff, but he finally speaks.

“Well, first thing’s first, I _am_ seeing you, so maybe we can cut the hysterics now,” he says, glaring at James when he opens his mouth to protest. “ _Secondly_ , you _are_ fucking gorgeous! Have you already forgotten what I said to you at the club?”

“We don’t forget anything,” James mumbles feebly.

“Ok…” Aleks acknowledges, “ _so_ , by a process of elimination, we can safely assume that your true form is what I find to be most beautiful, correct?”

James takes one more look at himself in the mirror then his eyes are meeting those deep brown pools again. 

“I don’t  _understand_ …” James trails off into silence. 

“ _I_ do,” Aleks says, and he sounds so  _sure_ , “ _Jesus_ , do you have any idea what I want to do with you right now?”

James flushes like a goddamn tomato.

“You can’t say shit like that!” he gasps, but Aleks isn’t going to give him a break.

Aleks’ smirk is devious as he gets up and walks to stand in front of James. Mishka leaps off his lap and she’s immediately scrabbling around both their feet, her previous fright completely forgotten.

James refuses to meet his eyes, instead watching Mishka panting up at him, but Aleks reaches for his hand either way. The weight of it is comforting and it manages to ground James just a little.

“Look at me, James,” Aleks whispers, and James suddenly feels hot all over. _Holy shit, is this what compulsion feels like?!_

When he finally meets Aleks’ eyes, it’s like he’s trapped there.

“ _Look_ , I can  _tell_ that this is new and scary for you, but I’d love to spend the night with you if you’ll have me,” Aleks murmurs, giving James’ hand a reassuring squeeze. “We need to do a _lot_ of talking, but can we let that wait till the morning?”

James looks at Aleks, sees the reverence reflected in his eyes, and he nods slowly.

Aleks smiles, and it’s so joyful that it makes James’ heart almost stop. Aleks leans up to kiss him, quick and gentle, and all that tension melts away like an ice cube on a hot summer’s day. Mishka yelps, hating to be left out of the tender moment, and Aleks rolls his eyes as he bends down to scoop her up like a baby, carrying her through to the laundry and plopping her down in her doggy bed. He checks her food and water one last time before he carefully closes the door.

“She’ll be fine”, Aleks assures him, laughing at James’ concerned glance towards the soft scratching and whining from behind the door. “The vet recommended I slowly introduce her to controlled situations that will help train her out of her separation anxiety. And _trust me_ , you don’t want that furball in bed with you when you’re trying to do the nasty.”

He offers his hand again and James hesitantly takes it. Aleks leads him through the apartment, guiding James to the bedroom, and he flicks the light on, pulling James over to the bed. Aleks sits him down, hands framing James’ face, and his thumb traces a little path across James’ cheek and to his bottom lip. 

“What do you want, baby?” Aleks asks, and James doesn’t hesitate.

“You.” 

“Move over there,” Aleks murmurs, and James can feel him smirking as he kisses James one last time and gently nudges him towards the headboard. 

Aleks seems to want to prolong James’ agony and he sheds his top slowly enough to have James aching for him. James feels as though he’s stuck in a trance with only Aleks to focus on, utterly helpless to the human across from him. The only thing that makes James feel even remotely better about his own reaction is that he can _feel_ the powerful desire coming from Aleks, knows that he wants this just as much as James does.

Now that the shirt has dropped to the floor, James can finally see the rest of Aleks’ tattoos, where the intricate designs and swirls of colour travel up the remainder of Aleks’ arms, and the striking eagle motif covers the expanse of his chest. Aleks has _love handles_ too, and James simultaneously wants to squeeze them and leave bites all over the area.

Aleks knee walks across the bed, smirking all the way, and plops himself directly into James’ lap. 

“Holy _fuck_ , Aleks!” James groans, and Aleks just smiles lazily as he grinds his hips down. 

“ _Mmm_ , someone likes that…” he chuckles, leaning down to nip a trail of love bites along James’ throat.

All of Aleks is suddenly _right there_ in front of him and James doesn’t want to waste a single second of the contact. His hands sweep across Aleks’ skin—caressing all the curves and angles, storing them in his mind so he’ll never forget them—and Aleks gasps hot against his throat. James can feel Aleks’ hard-on through his jeans and there’s that familiar sense of pride that he can make someone else feel this way. The fact that it’s _Aleks_ just makes it that much sweeter.

Aleks is still straddling him but he manages to shuffle back just enough that he can get at the zip of James’ jeans, and even that small bit of friction is enough to take James’ breath away. Aleks pulls James’ pants down to finally free his straining erection and his eyes widen appreciatively. 

“Sex demon, huh?” Aleks chuckles, “ _Now_ I’m seeing it.”

“ _Fucking hell_ , Aleks.” James scowls, and he can feel his cheeks flaming. “What am I gonna do with you?”

Aleks kisses him again, nibbles at the corner of James’ lip, and he hums appreciatively at James’ sharp intake of breath.

“Hmm, I’ve got a few ideas…”

James doesn’t like that _at all_. He flips them over, quick as a flash, and Aleks gasps as he’s suddenly being pressed into the mattress. 

“ _My turn_.” James grins, and it’s absolutely devious.

Hearing the way Aleks’ breath catches in his throat as James palms him through his jeans is intoxicating, probably the best sound James has ever heard, and it urges him on as he moves down to lay between Aleks’ open legs. He undoes Aleks’ pants, pulling them down and off his legs, and, for the sake of his own sanity, takes Aleks’ underwear with them. 

Aleks is suddenly here, in all his glory, and James doesn’t think he’s ever seen a more perfect sight than Aleks like this; skin flushed and hair dishevelled, hard cock laying on his belly, already shining and wet with precome. 

Aleks honest-to-God _whimpers_ when James first takes his dick in hand and James can’t help himself, leaning down to lick a long stripe up the underside of his cock, tasting his arousal.

It’s like fucking _ambrosia_ and James feels that hunger inside himself—previously tame and dormant—surge to life. _This_ is his fucking Heaven right here, about to give Aleks the best blowjob of his goddamn life, and there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.

“ _F—fuck, James,_ ” Aleks moans, arching like he’s got no control over his body when James swallows him down to the hilt, easily pushing past the gag reflex that hasn’t troubled him for centuries. 

James is back in his element now, with lust swirling around him like it’s the oxygen he breathes. He really wants to go all out, wants to impress this man that sees _him_ for some mysterious reason. 

He sucks with a little pressure, drags his tongue towards the head just to focus his stimulation right where he figures Aleks is most sensitive, and Aleks is damn near _crying_ as he almost convulses with the teasing, accompanied by another splash of salty precome that James is craving like water on a fire.

“James, f— _please_ ,” Aleks whines, and James feels like he’s trapped within that gaze, doesn’t want to stray from it for even a second.

“How the… _fuck_ are you this _good?”_ Aleks gasps and he twitches as James pulls off, leaving a quick kiss to his shaft as a parting gift.

“A few centuries of giving blowjobs and you pick up a thing or two.” He smirks.

“ _Centuries…_ ” Aleks mumbles, head hitting the pillow behind him with a soft thud, and he sounds as dazed as James feels.

That is, until James nuzzles around the base of his cock, licking and kissing a trail all the way to the head, and Aleks moans, his pupils blown so wide that there’s only a sliver of brown remaining.

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, sweetheart,” James chuckles and he  _lives_ for the look that verges upon very real _fear_ in Aleks’ eyes as he takes him into his mouth again.

If there’s one advantage of a non-existent gag reflex, it’s _this_ , and Aleks half-yells as James takes him deep into his throat until the head of Aleks’ dick feels like it’s so deep inside of him that he might die. In James’ humble opinion, there would be many worse ways to go.

Though he’s certainly accustomed to the sensation by this point, James’ body still reacts the way it naturally should, and Aleks isn’t the only one blinking through tears now. 

Aleks’ body seems to be rebelling against him, and he latches onto the first thing that he can find to steady himself. 

At this precise moment in time, that thing happens to be James’ horns, and Aleks’ hands grip tightly at the base of each.

Pleasure suddenly spikes through James’ body—like lightning racing through his bloodstream—and for the first time in two centuries, he _chokes_.

He pulls off immediately, Aleks’ cock sliding out of his throat with a wet noise that’s simultaneously _so gross_ but _so hot_ , and it’s a good thirty seconds before his coughing fit subsides.

He stares at Aleks, wide-eyed and gasping, and Aleks immediately tries to jump in and apologise. 

“ _Fuck_ , James. I’m sorry. I—I was just…” he starts, but James holds up a hand to silence his unnecessary remorse.

“Holy _crap_ …” James gasps, his own fingers probing along the surface of his horns, yet he feels absolutely nothing.

“What was it?” Aleks asks, confused.

“Can—can you touch them again?” James asks, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “I’ve never fucking felt that in my entire life.” 

“Ok…” Aleks says, lifting one trembling finger to lay it on James’ horn. 

James moans quietly, feels a shudder roll down his spine at the contact, and Aleks seems spurred on by the response, his fingers sweeping all the way from the base of James’ right horn to the tip. 

“ _Enough!_ ” James yelps, pulling away from him. “ _Holy shit, Aleks_ , you’re gonna make me bust in my fucking pants.”

Aleks laughs again, that short, incredulous giggle where his eyes crinkle up and it looks like he’s shining brighter than the Sun.

“I never had my horns when I was with a human before,” James marvels. He can’t help but laugh too as he watches Aleks sprawl out on the bed in front of him, thoroughly sex-ruffled.

“I’m glad you’re learning things about yourself.” Aleks smirks. “But could we possibly finish the task at hand?”

_Oh._ The life-altering blow job. _Right._

“Duly noted.” James grins, settling between Aleks’ legs again as he kisses all around Aleks’ groin, teasing him just a little as he leaves a few gentle bites along his inner thighs. The nips aren’t hard enough to hurt Aleks, but he’ll have some marks to show for them tomorrow morning and something about that gives James comfort.

When he’s got Aleks panting again, James figures he’s tortured him enough, and he takes Aleks’ dick in his hand, giving him a few firm strokes to get him back to full hardness again.

James licks a long stripe up the base of Aleks’ cock, eyes never leaving those of the man moaning quietly above him, and he kisses the swollen head, sucking gently and flicking his tongue against the frenulum until Aleks’ hands are fisted in the sheets, knees drawn up to try and deal with the oversensitivity. 

James breathes through it as he dives deeper again, pushing past that invisible barrier that holds him back until the head of Aleks’ dick is teasing the back of his throat. The weight of it is heavy and familiar on James’ tongue—just what he _craves_ —and the musky scent of Aleks’ arousal swirls around him until he’s dizzy with it. Aleks jolts with a choked sob and his precome feels like the best kind of fire in James’ throat. He’s close now, James can feel it in the tremble of his thighs and the way his body simultaneously tries to arch towards and away from James’ onslaught.

“ _James…_ ” Aleks _whimpers_ , and it sounds so broken and desperate that James needs to hold back the spike of lust that makes his own cock throb inside his pants.

As it turns out, his efforts are unnecessary, because Aleks grabs him by the horns again—more carefully this time—and James almost whites out as he feels Aleks come right down his fucking throat.

Aleks twitches once, _hard_ , instinctively pulls James closer to him, and James is only just able to remember through the blinding pleasure of his own orgasm to swallow around him, to wring out Aleks’ release even longer.

Aleks is damn near sobbing as he collapses back into the mattress, spasming weakly with the overstimulation as James gently pulls off, licking his lips like a _fucking pervert_ for good measure.

James quickly peeks downwards and sighs, mourning the fact that he literally just came in his pants, _untouched_ —at least in the normal sense—like a fucking virgin. _Great._  

As he crawls up Aleks’ body, James is almost convinced that he’s already passed out, but when he leans down to kiss Aleks’ nose, Aleks blinks up at him through wet, bleary eyes.

“That was…” Aleks trails off, completely breathless.

“ _New?”_ James supplies, grinning at him as he collapses next to the man, burying his nose in Aleks’ hair and just breathing in the scent that already feels so familiar. Aleks immediately presses closer, hands roaming the expanse of James chest as he kneads at him like a cat, and it’s _unbearably endearing_.

“I was gonna go with life-changing, but…new works, too.” Aleks giggles. “Can’t say I’ve ever dicked a demon before.”

“Shut _up_ ,” James snorts and he does his best to kick off his jeans and underwear without having to get up. “ _Besides_ , you technically still haven’t.”

“Mm, soon,” Aleks promises, and the actual thought of that is _way too much_ for James to handle right now.

“You know I’m gonna hold you to that?” James informs him matter-of-factly, shoving his jeans to the floor and pulling the quilt over their bodies as Aleks resumes his kneading. 

“’m counting on it,” Aleks mumbles, yawning wide as he lets James’ arms encompass him.

“Stay… _please?”_ Aleks murmurs, and the _hope_ in his voice makes James feel like crying. “Don’t—don’t leave…”

His heart is thumping a million miles an hour, and James hopes that Aleks can’t hear it.

This is his _one_ rule. Don’t stay, don’t _ever_ stay.

But…this is different.  _Everything’s_ different this time.

“I’m not going anywhere,” James sighs, resigning himself to his fate, and for the first time in his life, it’s not a lie.

Aleks mumbles something incoherent and James sees his smile fade as exhaustion overcomes his body. His hair is wild, cheeks flushed a deep pink, a startling contrast to the pale skin that almost seems to glow in the moonlight that seeps in from the room’s solitary window.

Aleks looks like an _angel_ , something too pure for this world, and James is drawn to this beautiful man like a moth to a flame. 

He can already hear Brett lecturing him about how this won’t end well, but the truth is that James couldn’t care less.

If he’s going to go down in flames, so be it.

He sleeps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 Soundtrack: [Side To Side by Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj](https://open.spotify.com/track/1pKeFVVUOPjFsOABub0OaV?si=AFufuvBhTlW0LwqXxOFZ9g), [Close Your Eyes by Meghan Trainor](https://open.spotify.com/track/2e1N4FhuB08W4iKmYpEftE?si=-uPWWsmtT8iKiOyuK7xnBg), [Slow Hands by Niall Horan](https://open.spotify.com/track/2cOUlop2ZakjOKe4WinesN?si=ZC3IxLsFRgak4MiaqBrpaA) and [Stay the Night - Radio Version by James Blunt](https://open.spotify.com/track/2zRMAleC7NlrhiWua0H7Mi?si=Axb712HdSiOK1jBeWg5cSw)


	3. What if I told you I like you?

The bed is empty when James awakens, and it twists like a knife in his heart.

_Cold, empty, desolate, abandoned;_ he feels it all. The sudden realisation that this is  _exactly_ how every single human he’s ever slept with and disappeared from felt makes him sick to his stomach.

The sound of a frying pan scraping makes itself known over the hum of traffic outside, the honking of horns in the distance where every road will be backed up with rush hour traffic, and James suddenly feels as light as air, the pain forgotten in an instant.

With all the sex he’s been having lately, James realistically won’t need to eat for at least a week, but the smell of bacon and eggs wafting into the room still has his mouth watering as he shuffles his pants on as well as he can manage.

When he pads out towards the kitchen, Mr. Sandman is playing quietly from the Bluetooth speaker in the corner of the room and James can see that Aleks has got his phone playing from Spotify.

Only a sliver of his attention can focus on that, though, because the rest of it is riveted on Aleks as he dances around the kitchen, humming quietly to himself as he flips the eggs and bacon, chucking little pieces of bacon to Mishka and laughing as she yaps and skids around trying to catch them. 

As the song transitions to a close, Aleks spins around, maybe intending to complete his little routine with a dramatic stance, but he freezes as soon as he spots James watching him with what James can only assume is an incredulous grin.

“I, _uh_ …” Aleks stands up again, wide-eyed, and there’s that beautiful blush rising in his cheeks again. “ _Shit_.” 

James can’t help but crack up at this absolute _dork_ that he’s already so gone for. Aleks pouts as he turns to check the food, embarrassed and sulking. Mishka suddenly realises that James is there, and she darts around the island to jump up against James’ legs and give him good morning licks, just as excitable as ever. 

“I’m sorry, Aleks,” James manages, wiping the tears from his eyes as he takes a seat on a barstool. “It was very good dancing, I promise!”

“ _Whatever_ ,” Aleks huffs, but when his eyes meet James’, he can’t hold back his own smile any longer.

“A fan of the 50s, huh?” James asks, nodding towards the dock where Sh-Boom is playing quietly.

Aleks shrugs, plating up the eggs and bacon just as the toaster in the corner pops up with two slices, startling Mishka enough that she zips off behind the couch with a yelp. “It was a recommended playlist on my Spotify. Ain’t nothing wrong with the classics.”

“True that,” James agrees, so lost in the way Aleks drifts around the kitchen that he almost forgets his manners. “Shit, sorry. Did you need help with anything?” 

Aleks smirks back at him as he rifles through the fridge.

“Coffee’s in the pot over there”—Aleks motions with his chin towards the steaming kettle—“and the cups are in the cupboard above it. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wake up without a good cup of coffee in the morning.”

James chuckles, pushing his stool back with a squeal that has Mishka popping her head back out from behind the couch, ears standing at attention. He makes his way over to the counter but freezes as soon as he opens the cabinet doors.

“Fucking hell, Aleks,” James gapes openly at the rows upon rows of ironic, funny and downright offensive mug designs. “What _is_ all this?”

Aleks shrugs nonchalantly, placing the butter down on the island. “What can I say? I’m a fan of funny mugs.”

James grimaces, pulling the first two cups out that he can get his hands on, doing what he can to spare his eyes from the horror that remains.

“Hakuna Mafuckit,” James deadpans, reading the first, but he should have known it could only get worse when his eyes are forced to endure the words ‘Memes Made Me Gay’, stamped in _rainbow_ _Comic Sans_ of all atrocities.

He fills the Horror Mugs and, when he turns back, Aleks is sitting at the counter, smirking at him like the sick son of a bitch he is.

“Is it too late to run?” James begs, and Aleks rolls his eyes, patting the barstool next to him.

“Hurry up, motherfucker, or your food will go cold.”

James gives up, and he settles beside Aleks as they tuck into their food in companionable silence. It’s nice and it gives James a chance to think about everything they still need to discuss together.

Every few minutes, Mishka makes a noise, and one of them chucks her a small morsel to keep her occupied.

“I’ve got work in a few hours,” Aleks pipes up, “so we’ve got a little time before I’ll need to get out of here.”

“Perfect,” James says, watching as Aleks cuts up his piece of toast. The man seems to understand that the word is meant for more than just the current situation because he blushes and averts his eyes to focus on his eggs.

The food is wonderful, a real lazy morning breakfast, and it’s exactly what James needs right now. As he and Aleks finish off their plates, James leans over to drop a quick kiss on Aleks’ cheek, and Aleks smiles back at him just as softly.

“Thank you,” James says, “it was delicious.”

Aleks just says, “You’re welcome,” as he allows James to take his empty plate to the sink.

As James places the washed plates in the rack to dry, he turns back to Aleks.

“I suppose we should address the demon in the room, huh?” James sighs. Aleks takes one last sip of his coffee, nodding slowly.

“The couch?” Aleks asks, looking down at his feet where Mishka is getting restless after so long without cuddles, and James agrees.

“Yeah, sure.” 

Mishka seems to predict their destination, because she races over to the couch, almost knocking herself out in her enthusiasm as she leaps onto the plushy surface. 

As James steps into the living area, movement in his peripheral vision grabs his attention, and he jumps a little when his eyes land on a bushy-tailed cat lazing along the top of the bookshelf in the corner of the room. Aleks notices his reaction, and he frowns until he notices the cat as well.

“ _Oh_.” He laughs, reassuring James, “I almost forgot. That’s Celia. She’s pretty shy, so she was probably hiding last night. Sorry if you’re not a fan of cats.”

“No, no.” James smiles, staring as the beautiful Maine Coone stretches a little to make herself more comfortable and her fluffy tail swishes gently. “I will admit that I’ve always had a particular proclivity for dogs, but I really do like cats too!”

“ _Proclivity_.” Aleks snorts. “Who speaks like that anymore?”

James sniffs, offended. “Someone with a proper grasp of the English language, _that’s who_. It’s not my fault that everyone communicates in _text speak_ these days.”

Aleks laughs, spooning up on the left side of the couch, and James takes the right. Mishka’s head rests on Aleks’ thigh and her tail wags against James’ arm as he gives her some scratches.

James already feels his anxiety welling up so he decides to kick the discussion off before he has a chance to back out on it entirely.

“Look, Aleks, I don’t really know where to start…” he sighs.

“I think,” Aleks begins, and he looks up from Mishka in his lap to meet James’ eyes, “I think we should agree to tell each other the truth. Nothing good ever comes from lying.” 

“Of course.” James nods. “Well, in that case, let’s make this easy. Ask me anything you want to know, and I’ll tell you. And then you can do the same for me?” 

“Okay.” Aleks smiles and there’s suddenly a burning curiosity in his eyes; so many questions he no doubt wants answers to.

“You first.” James passes the figurative baton to Aleks, and the man frowns as he battles with which question to ask first. It’s adorable, really, how his eyebrows turn down a little and he squints off into the distance, absently stroking Mishka.

“You—you said something about centuries last night…” Aleks pipes up. “How old are you?”

“I was born in 1801,” James replies, watching Aleks carefully. It’s an easy enough question to answer, but he has no way of knowing how the human will react to such a mind-boggling sum. “So, that would make me two-hundred and fifteen as of this year.” 

Aleks stares at him open-mouthed and James feels like every fibre of his body is taut with uncertainty. 

“Fuck, dude, you’re old as _shit!”_ Aleks giggles and the tension bursts just like that.

“You seem surprisingly okay with that…” James frowns, honestly confused at how nonchalantly Aleks can deal with all of these impossible truths.

Aleks just shrugs. “I guess I’ve already come to terms with the fact that nothing about you is ordinary.” 

James purses his lips at that, but Aleks steps in to remind him that it’s his turn to ask a question, so James sighs and lets it go for now.

“Ok…” James thinks to himself, but there is one thing he _really_ wants to know. “What’s your full name?”

He earns a tremendous eye roll for that one, but Aleks sticks to his promise, and the words “Aleksandr Vitalyevich Tchernev-Marchant” roll off his tongue like velvet. 

“The entire world of questions you could ask, and you choose _that_.” Aleks shakes his head, “In what way is that even going to come in useful anyway?” 

“I don’t know, _Aleksandr_.” James smirks, “I’m sure I’ll find _some_ use for the knowledge.” 

Aleks snorts, looking down at Mishka as she rolls onto her back so they can give her belly some attention.

“You said you were born.” Aleks searches his eyes, “Do you have parents? A family?” 

“No, not really,” James muses, scratching the back of his neck distractedly. “When I say I was ‘born’, it’s just a simple way of saying that I came to life. I came into this world exactly as I am today, with a true form I can only assume is physically around twenty-seven years old. When you’re a demon that feeds on sexual energy to survive, it’s probably for the best that you don’t spend any portion of your life as a child.”

Aleks shivers at the mere thought of it, and James nods grimly.

“I was alone. I had no-one to teach me, so I had to learn myself,” James says, staring off at some point in the distance. “To this very day, I still have no idea what my purpose is…”

There’s some imperceptible emotion welling up in Aleks’ eyes, so James hurries to change the subject to something a little less heavy.

“The closest thing I’ve got to family is my roommate Brett.” James smiles, playing with Mishka’s paw pads. “I found him in 1846, although he’d been around since 1505. The lucky bastard spent his first decade wandering around Mesoamerica before he stumbled upon the Aztec empire at the height of its power. Incubi take the form of whatever a human finds to be most beautiful, and the Aztecs were so madly devoted to their deities that that’s  _exactly_ what they saw when they looked at him. From that point, until the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521, Brett ruled as a living embodiment of their Gods and Goddesses, and they worshipped him as such.”

“That’s just like Road to El Dorado!” Aleks gasps, seemingly in disbelief.

“ _God_ , I can’t even _count_ the number of times that he’s bitched to me about how DreamWorks ‘stole his life story without credit’.” James rolls his eyes, making the air quotes as distinct as he can possibly manage. “The dumb motherfucker doesn’t seem to grasp the fact that nobody even knows he _exists_.”

“That’s just…” Aleks bursts out laughing. “ _Wow_.”

“Welcome to my eternity,” James sighs.

“Eternity…” Aleks murmurs, eyes burning with questions unasked. “Are you gonna live forever?”

“I _believe_ …” James starts, “…that it’s _my_ turn to ask a question.”

“Party pooper.” Aleks pouts, but he doesn’t argue the point as James decides on his next question.

“Tell me about Russia,” he asks, motioning towards Mishka. “I know that her name has a Russian origin, and you said that you grew up there?”

Aleks suddenly curls in on himself a bit, eyes sad, and James feels his stomach drop. 

“ _Aleks…_ I’m sorry, I—” James tries to change the subject, but Aleks grabs his hand until he stills.

“No. It’s ok…” Aleks sighs, his eyes troubled but determined. “You’ve told the truth, and so will I.”

Mishka seems to notice the change in mood, and she wriggles closer to Aleks, allowing him to hug her close to his chest. 

“I was born in Russia, and I lived there throughout my childhood,” Aleks murmurs, absentmindedly playing with Mishka’s collar as he recounts the details. “My dad was never in the picture, so my mom raised me all on her own. I guess she wanted a different life for us, a better one, so we eventually moved to America. She got married and then I had a stepdad, and everything was great, for a while. But…but then she got _sick_ , and she—” 

Aleks’ voice gives out, and he swallows thickly as James watches on in horrified silence. It feels like someone has stabbed him in the heart and the way Aleks buries his nose in Mishka’s fur feels like the knife being twisted and cutting even deeper.

It takes a long minute for Aleks to collect himself, and the tension in the room is sombre the entire time.

“I lost her.” Aleks sighs, still staring down at Mishka in his lap. “It wasn’t…a good time for me.”

Aleks finally meets James’ eyes, sees the dismay that’s surely reflected there, and he shrugs weakly. 

“ _But,_ I was adopted by my stepdad and he took care of me when I needed it most, even after he got remarried.” Aleks smiles, though James can still see the sadness in his eyes. “My step parents gave me every opportunity possible, and I have no idea where I’d be without them…” 

“It would have been so _easy_ to forget Russian,” Aleks continues, “to lock it away with the bad memories and never speak it again. But something about that just seemed so _wrong_ , to hide from a part of myself. I wanted to never forget it for _her_ sake, to keep her memory alive, maybe?”

James doesn’t allow tears to fall, not until Aleks hugs Mishka closer to him and utters softly under his breath, “Я люблю тебя, мама.”

Aleks looks at him then, perhaps a little shocked at James’ emotional reaction, and although James doesn’t mean for it, he can’t stop himself from whispering, “Мне так жаль, Алекс.” 

Aleks gapes at him, completely and utterly taken-aback, and James gives him a sad smile as he shrugs a little helplessly. He felt like he had to say _something_ after hearing Aleks’ story.

“I…You…You speak _Russian?”_ Aleks stammers, still visibly reeling.

“I speak thirty-six languages fluently.” James hesitates, doing everything in his power to _not_ sound conceited about that fact as he dries his tears away. “You sort of just _pick them up_ over time, when you’ve lived as long—and travelled as much—as I have. Brett knows over a hundred.”

“You really are _perfect_ , you know that?” Aleks sighs quietly, and somehow, there’s more adoration in his eyes than James ever thought was possible for one human being to feel. “Are you even able to _comprehend_ how phenomenal you are?!”

“You can’t say stuff like that!” James pleads, and he can feel his entire face turning scarlet.

Aleks lets Mishka go, and she immediately leaps down from the couch and starts doing laps as Celia watches on, thoroughly unamused. James’ focus is riveted on Aleks, though, because the man immediately crawls over until he’s kneeling directly in front of James.

Aleks’ hands come up, seemingly in slow motion, and he caresses James’ face, holds him there like he can’t really believe that James is real, and before James can complain again, Aleks is kissing him.

It starts out gentle, but there’s only so much restraint that either of them have. Lips move together, hands roam freely, and James does everything in his power to savour the extraordinary human in his arms 

James’ hands settle on Aleks’ hips, right where they fit best, and he sighs as he pulls Aleks closer to him. It still boggles his mind how perfectly their bodies line up together, as if they were always meant for one another. 

When Aleks finally pulls away, James doesn’t let him get far, and Aleks giggles breathlessly as he rests his forehead against James’ and just breathes in that private, safe space between the two of them. 

“ _Beautiful,_ ” Aleks murmurs, eyes shining with so much wonder and awe and, yes, love as well. “ _Wonderful. Marvellous. Incredible. Extraordinary._ ” Every word in Russian, and each one whispered against James’ skin between soft kisses, as if Aleks is trying to bind them to him somehow. 

It’s just the two of them, locked in this moment, comfortable and safe within each other’s arms.

“I want to go on a date with you!” Aleks begs suddenly, and all James can do is stare at him dumbly. “I _know_ , I know. It’s all out of order, and we skipped the courting and went straight to the sex, but, _fuck_ , I want—I want to take you out and have one of those cheesy romantic nights where we dress up all fancy and have dinner at some snobby place that neither of us can dream of affording. I want to do absolutely _everything_ with you, James.”

James still can’t will himself to speak, the uncertainty taking the words right out of his mouth, and Aleks backtracks immediately, the hurt evident in his entire face.

“But I get it if you don’t want anything like that from me…” Aleks tries, but James doesn’t let him jump to the wrong conclusion, pushing forward to kiss him again. Aleks finally relaxes against James’ body, one hand caressing the wispy little curls that have escaped at the nape of his neck. 

“I _do_. I do, I do, I— _I fucking_ _want that_ , Aleks.” James sighs, pulling away so he can read Aleks’ eyes. “But…I’ve never actually _been_ on a date before…”

“…how?” Aleks gasps. “How can you have been alive for as long as you have and _not_ have been on a _single_ date?” 

“You don’t _understand_ ,” James sighs, “I feed off sexual energy, Aleks. It’s what keeps me strong and healthy. When I went out to pick someone up, I may as well have been choosing from my favourite fast food menus. The sex was _fun_ , of course, but it meant no more to me than someone eating something when they’re hungry. It was just another need that had to be fulfilled.”

Aleks’ brows turn down, and James just smiles, using the pad of his thumb to smooth out the lines of confusion and worry on Aleks’ forehead.

“And then  _you_ came along.” James laughs. “And you saw _me_ , not just some illusion, and I knew that _everything_ was going to be different this time.” 

Aleks flushes at the revelation.

“ _So_ , I’m gonna need you to take the lead on this one,” he chuckles. “’cause for the first time in my life, I’m the one that’s at a loss here.”

Aleks smiles, and there’s those crinkly eyes that make James’ heart clench.

“ _Ok!”_ Aleks beams. “How about tonight?”

“You humans are unbelievable…” James muses fondly, shaking his head. “Have you already forgotten about your shift tonight?”

Aleks blinks rapidly, and he snatches his phone up to check the time 

“ _Crap!”_ Aleks yelps, jumping off the couch so fast that he stirs Mishka into another barking frenzy and they both go running in the direction of the bedroom.

Just like that, it’s only James and Celia left in the room, but she merely stretches out even further, seemingly unaffected by all the fuss.

As James walks back into the kitchen again, Aleks comes stumbling out of his room, still struggling to put on his left shoe, and Mishka seems to be one second away from getting trodden on as she zips around his feet.

“My boss will fucking _murder_ me if I get to work late again,” Aleks mutters. All James can do is grin at this wonderful dork.

“Need anything?” James asks, striving to be helpful, and Aleks throws him a grateful look as he rushes around the kitchen counter to grasp his car keys.

“No,” Aleks assures him, “but thank you for caring.” 

James can only smirk.

“It’s what I’m here for.”

Aleks laughs as he rushes over to quickly kiss James goodbye. Though it’s the briefest of all the kisses they’ve shared thus far, James could swear that it’s the sweetest, and he almost finds himself chasing after Aleks’ lips when they’re gone. 

“Tomorrow night, I _promise!”_ Aleks says, and it looks like it’s taking every bit of willpower he has to inch towards the door. “I’m working an early shift tomorrow, so we can go out and have dinner at a reasonable time.”

“Ok.” James nods, smiling at the unwilling retreat. “You wanna just text me when you figure it out?”

“Ah, _shit!”_ Aleks mumbles, stopping dead in his tracks. “We didn’t do numbers yet, did we? Where’s your phone?”

“Don’t worry about it.” James laughs, tapping the side of his head. “Like I said, I don’t forget anything. What’s the number?”

Aleks recites the numbers hurriedly and he gathers himself right next to the door. “Don’t you dare forget it. I’m not done with you yet!” 

“Go on, you idiot, you’ll be late for work!” James rolls his eyes, but he can’t help chuckling. “Like I said, I never forget. And besides, I could totally stalk your house either way.”

Aleks snorts and he quickly ducks down to ruffle Mishka around her ears, causing her to yelp at him excitedly. Playing with her seems to jog Aleks’ memory though, because he curses as he stands up again. 

“I forgot to fill her bowl for the rest of the day!” Aleks whines, shooting a desperate glance towards the empty bowl in the corner of the room, but James cuts that worry short before it can escalate. 

“ _Go!”_ James urges him. “I’ll take care of everything here and lock the door on my way out. Don’t worry, I’m so _fabulously_ rich that it’s not worth making off with any of your shit.” 

“Oh, very funny!” Aleks rolls his eyes, but there’s so much underlying appreciation shining beneath the surface that it takes James’ breath away. “ _God,_ I could kiss you…”

“Leave the kissing for dinner.” James smirks, shooing him out, and Aleks’ face disappears with a wink that makes James feel _a great many things_. 

The apartment is quiet in the wake of the door slamming, but as soon as Mishka comes to terms with the fact that Aleks isn’t coming back anytime soon, she promptly starts whining and scratching at the door woefully. 

“C’mere, baby,” James says, and her crestfallen mood is forgotten just like that as she bounds over, panting up at him with her tongue lolling out as he scratches behind her ears and gives her the attention she so desperately deserves.

James really should get home, but while he’s here he may as well get things in order so there’s less stress for Aleks when he comes home from what’s sure to be an exhausting day at work. 

Mishka trots beside James as he wanders into the bedroom and she scampers around excitedly at the billowing of the sheets as James flips them up and smooths them down again, tucking in the corners neatly. He beats the pillows out, and once they’re resting back in their intended spots, the room looks leagues better. 

The few bits of stray clothing on the floor are lobbed into the laundry basket, presumably to be washed or sent to the dry cleaners at Aleks’ leisure, and Mishka narrowly misses each with her teeth as she leaps to chase them.

“Come on, you weirdo,” James laughs, giving her a pet until she calms down, and she follows him out to the kitchen as he washes his hands and quickly sets about drying the dishes from breakfast and searching through the cupboards to find places to return them to.

With that quick clean done, the apartment is looking presentable, at least, so James decides it’ll do for now. He calls Mishka to follow him as he reaches for the large bag of kibble and he measures out a scoopful that clatters into the metal surface of the dog bowl on the floor. Mishka immediately shoves her face into it and starts scarfing down the food _exactly_ the way Ein used to do it. _God,_ what is it with dogs and their need to eat like every meal will be their last?

James giggles, petting her thick fur one last time as he stands, and he backs out of the room without disturbing her meal.

Shockingly, Celia is perched right on the edge of the couch as James turns around and she trills quietly as she looks him directly in the eye. He’d admitted to Aleks that he was more of a dog person, but James isn’t a stranger to cat psychology either, so he’s astonished when Celia slowly blinks at him, indicating her obvious trust.

Carefully, he offers her his hand, and she sniffs around his fingers before pressing her forehead directly into his palm so he can stroke her all the way from her head to the tip of her tail in one smooth stroke. James can only stand there with a dumbfounded smile plastered on his face as Celia starts purring quietly, arching into his touches whilst he relishes the opportunity to be granted her trust so swiftly. 

“You’re a pretty little lady, aren’t you?” James murmurs. Celia closes her eyes and presses even closer, allowing James to bury his fingers into her dense fur.

James could honestly spend all day like this, but he can hear that Mishka is approaching the bottom of the bowl and he knows that it’ll be much less drama if he gets out before she has a chance to realise. 

Reluctantly, he stops petting Celia and she hops down from the couch to pad over to the corner where he can see her dry food is still waiting for her.

James quickly glances around the room to check that everything is in order before he makes his way over to the door, slipping out silently. He checks the lock one last time before heading towards the elevators that are finally repaired.

He looks _vibrant_ in the elevator mirrors, which is to be expected after a sexual encounter. _However,_ there’s something deeper there that James only just notices, but almost can’t recognise. As he looks closer, James feels stupid for not seeing it immediately.

He’s _happy_.

And yet, that word doesn’t seem adequate in any way, shape or form.

He’s _elated_. He’s so full of fucking  _joy_ that it feels like it’s shining right out of him. He hasn’t felt this light, this _free_ , for _decades_ now, and it’s absolutely infectious. All the sexual energy in the world couldn’t hold a candle to this feeling, not in a million years.

He laughs to himself as the elevator doors swing open, sweeping past the stunned couple who are waiting to go up to their apartment.

It’s a moderately warm day outside, and James allows himself to soak up the sunlight as he leans against the closest streetlight and orders himself an Uber.

The closest one is literally right around the corner, so he jumps right into the passenger seat and leaves the driver to her overwhelmed expression as he fishes out his phone from his pocket.

James quickly navigates to his messages and slots in Aleks’ number before stopping to contemplate his opening text.

**Afternoon beautiful** , he decides on, and he taps quickly, **How’s work coming along? <3** 

**I’m gonna murder my boss fml** , comes the reply, and the fact that it’s sent no longer than ten seconds after James’ own has him smiling to himself. 

**Shouldn’t you be focusing?**

**I was hanging out until you texted me :c** , Aleks’ message pops up, followed by another a second later, **What took you so long?**

**Making sure your pets didn’t die lmao** , James shoots off. 

**Kk <3** 

**Don’t wanna get you fired** , James sends, **ttyl?**

**Fine :(** , Aleks sulks, so James sends him one last text.

**Miss you :)**

**Miss you too <3**, Aleks replies.

James smiles to himself, setting his phone down, and he feels positively giddy throughout the remainder of the drive. It’s like he’s suddenly looking at the city in a new light and it’s never been more beautiful.

He thanks the driver when they arrive at his place and gives her a five-star review as he steps out onto the curb, shutting the door behind him. 

James looks up at his apartment building, breathes a deep lungful of air to give himself the strength to deal with whatever situation Brett has got himself into, and bounds up the stairs two at a time, unable to dampen his euphoria despite the threat of an incubus-driven catastrophe.

When he steps into their apartment, Brett is actually lounging on the couch with a bowl of Doritos as he watches TV. He grins at James with a beardful of crumbs and James cautiously places his keys down on the bench.

“ _Sooo…_ ” James intones, “you weren’t locked up then?”

Brett cackles, shifting a little so he can properly face James.

“ _Please,_ ” He snorts, sounding utterly insulted, “even if I was, I could compel my way out, no worries.” 

“So you didn’t hack the police scanners then?” James asks, feeling hopeful despite himself. 

“Now, I never said that…” Brett purses his lips, and James wonders why he even bothers to have faith.

“ _Dammit, Brett!”_ James groans, and he stomps over to the couch and nudges Brett’s legs off so he can sit down. “Please tell me you didn’t kill anyone…”

“Who do you think I am? Some low-life _criminal?”_ Brett huffs, affronted. “I _saved_ someone’s _life_ , thank you very much!”

James raises an eyebrow at him, but he still settles in to hear a story that’s likely to be interesting, at the very least. 

“Ok, so I found some tutorials online—mind you this is some dark web shit—and I managed to get access to some police frequencies. Turns out that’s a bust though, because it’s too much drama to deal with all the cops, and by the time it’s showing up on their radios they’re already swarming to the place.” 

“No shit, Sherlock,” James deadpans. Brett glowers at him for interrupting.

“ _Anyway_ , I gave up on that brilliant plan, decided to find out the areas of the city with the highest crime rate, and I just went snooping around there,” Brett says.

“Amazing idea, Brett, _if you’re trying to get yourself killed!”_ James buries his face in his hands. “Just ‘cause you’ve lived for five centuries, doesn’t mean you’re invincible from point-blank _bullets._ ” 

“ _Relax,_ ” Brett mutters, sounding _way_ too blasé about this entire situation, “compulsion works a treat.”

“Believe it or not, _Brett,_ most people aren’t gonna give you the chance to compel them before they’re popping a cap in your ass!” 

“If I had a mother, you’d sound just like her.” Brett rolls his eyes, collapsing back against the armrest. “Now let me finish my story, asshole.” 

James glares.

“So, I was hanging around, and I saw this shady looking motherfucker trailing this girl. She was pretty, maybe early twenties, _definitely_ not a fighter; he thought he had an easy target. So, he’s gaining on her and he pulls this knife out and tells her to give him her bag.” 

James stares at him, mouth thinned to a line.

“She should’ve just given it to him, but I guess it was just a reflex and she clung onto it. This guy is getting angrier by the second. I know what’s coming next,” Brett says, and his joking mood has vanished. “She’s fucking _terrified_ , James. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone that scared in my entire life.”

“All I had to do was make a noise to get his attention, and he was mine. Told him to let her go and he backed off immediately; he wouldn’t be going anywhere unless I told him to. I checked on her straight away, made sure she was wasn’t hurt and then I turned back to him and I could hardly stand to look at the pile of filth. It took everything I had not to tell him to stab himself right then and there, but the girl didn’t deserve to be scared any more than she already was. So, I told him to walk to the nearest police station, turn himself in, confess all his crimes, and give them any evidence they needed to lock him up.”

James stares at Brett, sees his eyes dark and full of emotion.

“I walked with her to the closest diner and just sat with her for a few hours to let her cry and work through it all. I made sure she got home safe afterwards. She was so fucking _thankful_ , James. She probably would have died there, if I hadn’t intervened…” 

James blinks slowly and finally wills himself to speak. 

“You saved that girl’s life, and I’m _so_ fucking proud of you, but you are _never_ going to do anything like that again, you hear me?” James utters every word deliberately. “You’re my best friend, Brett. You’re one of the only things I care about in my life, and after everything we’ve been through, I _refuse_ to lose you to a situation that’s completely avoidable, understand?”

Brett sighs and nods, pulling James in.

“I promise,” Brett mumbles, resting his chin on James’ shoulder, “I don’t think I’d have the strength, anyway. That was— _shit,_ that was too intense for me.” 

“ _Idiot_ ,” James mutters, and his voice sounds a lot weaker than he wants it to. 

Brett chuckles, giving him a playful shove, but then he frowns as James’ earlier comment finally sinks in.

“ _Hold on_ ,” he squints at James, “Since when am I only _one_ of the things that are keeping you alive.” 

“Uhh, about that…” James coughs quietly, avoiding Brett’s piercing gaze.

“Guess I’m not the only one who’s been busy.” Brett grins, and he automatically leans closer, excited to hear any news. “Come on, fess up!”

“Ok, _look_ , this—this is gonna sound _crazy_ , but I’m telling the truth, ok?” James says, and Brett is confused, but he nods to continue either way. 

“So, while you were out yesterday doing…what you were doing, I was stuck at the house and I felt claustrophobic and anxious, so I just had to get out of here. I just kept walking until I got to that dog park that’s all the way on the other side of the city. Anyway, I was just hanging out and I met a girl with her dog and she was really nice and asked me to call her sometime but I told her to wait for the right one and all that romantic crap, and _anyway_ , I’m getting side-tracked.”

Brett raises an eyebrow at James’ abysmal storytelling skills, but he allows him to go on. 

“I was walking home and I happened to go right past that new club that just opened up, the one you wanted us to go to,” James says, and he raises his hands in a submissive gesture as Brett glares at him for going to a great club without him. “ _Look,_ it’s a nice place. You should totally check it out.” 

Brett opens his mouth to complain, but James shushes him before he has a chance.

“Let me finish, Brett! This is _crazy shit_ ,” James says, and Brett huffs, sitting back. “Anyway, so I get into this club and it’s really amazing and all of a sudden I meet this guy who’s _gorgeous_. Like, _seriously_ , two hundred years to choose from, and this guy is the best by far. _Holy shit_ , Brett, I almost had a heart attack.” 

The other incubus is grinning from ear-to-ear now, and there’s an excited gleam in his eyes as he watches James flail about. 

“Long story short, we go back to this guy’s place, and he’s all like, _what’s up with the horns, dude?”_

“WHOA WHOA, _SHIT!”_ Brett immediately reels back, shouting, and his eyes are as wide as saucers. “How the  _fuck?!”_

“I KNOW!” James yells too, getting worked up by the reality of it all over again. “But hold on!” 

Brett might be having a panic attack at the opposite end of the couch, so James quickly races on. 

“He fucking—he sees me, Brett. The thing he finds most beautiful is _this_.” James gestures to himself, horns and all. “He took me to bed and it was—it was the best fucking experience of my entire life because it was _me_ , it was  _me_ that was touching him, holding him, it was my true form that he was worshipping. I’ve never felt anything like it in my entire life.” James bubbles, so overwhelmed and happy and still reeling, to be completely honest. 

It looks like he’s not the only one.

“You…He…” Brett sputters, and he seems to be beyond coherent speech. “ _How…?”_  

“I don’t fucking _know_ , Brett,” James sighs dreamily, “and frankly I don’t fucking _care_. All I know is that Aleks _sees_ me, and I stayed with him all last night and we woke up and had breakfast together and I love his dog and his cat and we’re going on a date tomorrow. And I _know_ that you’re gonna say this is the worst idea in the world and that this can’t possibly end well, but I’ve got to _try_ , Brett. This _has to_ mean _something_. If _this_ isn’t a sign, I don’t know what could be. And if I don’t give it a chance, I’ll spend the rest of eternity wishing I had.”

James’ rant finally cuts off, and he sits there, gasping for breath as he looks at his best friend studying him thoughtfully.

“You’re right,” Brett murmurs slowly, “I _was_ gonna tell you there’s a big fat chance that this will go south. 

“ _But,_ ” he adds, when James’ face falls, “I haven’t seen you this happy in centuries, James. If he’s the one you’re supposed to be with, then there’s nothing anyone—including me—can do about it.”

James feels tears prick in his eyes, and he surges forward to hug Brett, giggling at the surprised yelp he lets out at suddenly being tackled.

When Brett pulls back, his eyes are serious again.

“You need to be careful, though,” Brett warns, “you’re really tempting the hand of fate here.”

The message is solemn, but James nods anyway. Whatever’s coming, James has accepted his fate. 

Aleks is worth that. Aleks is worth _anything_.

“ _Now,_ ” Brett interrupts James’ thoughts, and his friend has a smirk that quirks his lips up, “tell me more about this boy you love.”

Thus ensues a two hour long speech of every reason why Aleks is absolutely perfect. 

And _James?_ James doesn’t stop smiling for a single second of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> "Я люблю тебя, мама." = "I love you, Mom."
> 
> “Мне так жаль, Алекс.” = "I'm so sorry, Aleks."
> 
>  
> 
> Chapter 3 Soundtrack: [Mr. Sandman by The Chordettes](https://open.spotify.com/track/1T3tP6HvCgDF8ewpRqwM1e?si=G-fgG5uYQKqYOkVQoZ-ybw), [Sh-Boom by The Chords](https://open.spotify.com/track/6NjYEcZLw648J3TDddkmWg?si=eqMAfK1rSSW0j7yF5f3kZA) and [What If by Johnny Orlando and Kenzie](https://open.spotify.com/track/4v7DgEMw6EvYyuQ4eWFD9l?si=4XDhQUUfSYik1CWR41yVZQ).


	4. Didn't know that I was starving till I tasted you

“This really doesn’t need to be such a big thing…” Brett muses as he leans against the doorway of James’ bedroom. James shoots his reflection a glare as he twists and turns in front of the mirror to find whatever’s missing.

“The fuck are you on about?” James grumbles, tearing off his current shirt and rifling through his wardrobe to find something better. “This is gonna be, like, the most  _important_ night of my life.”

Brett rolls his eyes and James debates the merit of beating him up. Brett’s undoubtedly stronger, but James is faster than him and if he could catch him around the legs, there’s a good chance he’d make it out on top… 

“You sound like some teenage girl getting ready for prom, dude.” Brett frowns and he needs to duck out of the way as another shirt comes flying at him. “If Aleks is exactly how you say he is, he won’t give a damn what you wear.”

“You’re right,” James admits. He almost winces at how difficult it is to admit that Brett’s correct about something. “ _But_ I want this to be perfect, for both of us. So, I’m gonna do what I do best; look drop-dead gorgeous.”

“And the modesty award goes to… _anyone but James fucking Wilson!”_ Brett remarks sarcastically, and James would be tempted to smile if he wasn’t in the process of throwing off another shirt.

“Fuck it! That’s it!” James snarls. “It’s all shit! I don’t have one nice outfit in this entire goddamn apartment.”

Brett watches on, amused and probably a little fond, as James stomps over to grab his wallet and phone and shoves them into his pockets.

“Can’t blame the clothes, bud. You haven’t really had an excuse to own any nice ones till now,” Brett muses. He pats James sympathetically on the shoulder as he stomps past him.

“I gotta get out of here,” James mutters, already heading for the door, “gotta find some better clothes.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, easy, tiger.” Brett chuckles. “It’s nine a.m. in the fucking morning and you’re going out for dinner. Just stop and smell the roses for a second.”

“I _can’t_ , Brett!” James huffs and crosses his arms as he studies the other incubus. “You know I won’t be able to relax until this is over, so unless you want to deal with an anxious mess all day, I suggest you let me go and do what I’ve gotta do.” 

“Fine, _Grouchy._ ” Brett smirks. “But I’m coming with you.” 

A protest is right on the tip of James’ tongue, but Brett shushes him as he checks his phone. 

“If the only way you’re gonna calm down is by looking perfect, then I’m gonna help you do it.” Brett grins, patting him on the shoulder as he sweeps around him. “And besides, I’m fucking bored and there’s nothing else to do. Let me play Barbie for a day. You owe me that much.” 

James groans. He stomps after his uninvited guest, muttering under his breath, “Ken is more accurate, asshole.”

They’ve been living in this place for long enough that the people in their building have long since grown accustomed to their beauty, but the rest of the world is a completely different story. One incubus alone is enough to turn every head in their direction. Two incubi together just about stops traffic.

Before they’ve even made it down the stairs, the first cab driving down their street has already zoomed into the curb, hoping against all hope that these two beauties are looking for a ride.

Brett smirks over his shoulder and James can only roll his eyes. Brett has always found more enjoyment in the reactions than James. Like a kid in a candy shop, the big idiot. 

Brett ushers James into the car first, giving him a playful shove into the back seat, and James aims a swift kick back at him.

“ _Close_ ”—Brett laughs as he narrowly dodges James’ foot and slides into the seat with a triumphant grin—“but no banana.”

“Westfield Century City,” Brett tells the driver. The man manages to tear his eyes off them to plug in the address and pull out into the street. 

When James looks at him, Brett just shrugs. “I’m still not sure what direction we’re going in, so we may as well err on the side of more choice.”

At that moment, James’ phone buzzes in his pocket and he smiles when he sees a new text from Aleks. 

**I got us a reservation at 7.**

**Gonna tell me where it is?** James replies.

**Nope :p**

James frowns at that. 

**Surprise?**

**Surprise** , Aleks answers and James feels his stomach swoop despite his best efforts. 

**Imma need your address to pick you up.** Aleks adds.

James types it up, and he can’t help but smile when he sends his reply. 

**You’re gonna pick me up…?**

**I’m taking the lead, like you said.** Aleks says,  **Chauffeuring is just part of my master plan to court you.**  

**Courting generally happens before we’ve touched each other’s dicks ;)**

James stares at his phone for a long time, probably at least a few minutes, yet no reply comes. Right when he’s seriously terrified that he’s gone too far, an image pops up. 

James can only stare in disbelief at the shrugging old man meme accompanied by the caption “guess I’ll die”, and he can’t help the mortified chuckle that escapes him.

**Maybe I’ll let you** , James types. **I can’t believe you made me look at that with my own two eyes :/**

Aleks only responds with **lol**.

**You wound me, Aleksandr. You truly do.**

**That’s what I’m here for baby ;D**  

James smiles despite himself, but Aleks texts again before he has a chance to come up with a witty comeback. 

**Work is gonna be hell :(** Aleks says and James needs to look out the window for a few seconds. Aleks _misses_ him. And it shouldn’t be such a big deal, but it _really_ is. This is all so new, and James is honestly still struggling to wrap his head around it. 

**Not working sucks too :c** James shoots back when he can will his fingers to type again.

**Your chariot will arrive at 6. I hope you’re ready to be swept off your feet.**

**Can’t wait** , James decides, and adds a few heart emojis for good measure.

**Crap, gotta go!** Aleks texts. James smiles at the thought of him dodging his boss’ prying eyes. **Tonight <3**

James forces himself to leave it at that, doesn’t want to distract Aleks from his work. As he slips his phone back into his pocket, he notices something in the corner of his vision.

Brett’s got the biggest shit-eating grin plastered across his face and James finds himself scowling; that look never bodes well for anyone.

“ _What?”_ James huffs and his phone suddenly feels heavier against him. “Don’t be weird.”

“You are so _gone_ , aren’t you?” Brett laughs. 

“Don’t be an asshole about it,” James grumbles, but Brett won’t stop smiling.

“I’m _not_. I promise,” Brett says, and he seems genuinely relieved. “I just haven’t seen you this happy in a  _long_ fucking time, and it’s—it’s nice, _okay?”_  

James rolls his eyes but it’s half-hearted. Brett’s right, though he hates to admit it. Although the nerves are twisting his stomach in knots, it’s more of anticipation and excitement than any real worry. Every second without Aleks feels like an age. 

As the car rolls up to the taxi bay at the shopping centre, James reaches for his wallet, but Brett gets there first. After he pays the driver, they both scoot out onto the sidewalk and James looks up at the epitome of consumer culture in front of them. _What has he gotten himself into?_

“Come on, loser, we’re going shopping.” Brett smirks and he dutifully ignores the glower aimed his way. He eyes James up and down quickly and James feels more self-conscious under the weight of Brett’s scrutiny. “Clothes first. Then we can figure out what to do with the rest of you.” 

“Oh, goody!” James deadpans, but he allows Brett to drag him towards the closest department store.

Brett spends the next two hours having _way_ too much fun dressing him up in suits and dress shirts, continuing on even after they’ve come to a decision on the outfit he’ll wear tonight; leather jacket layered over a white collared dress shirt, black jeans that are similar to a pair he already owns, yet more fitted and stylish. To finish it all off, black dress shoes accentuate the jeans, and a nice watch from some designer brand sits proudly on his wrist.

James turns one last time in front of the mirror and he has to begrudgingly agree that Brett did a great job.

“You are _definitely_ getting laid tonight, my man.” Brett smirks, nodding approvingly as he eyes James up and down.

“Real classy, Brett.” James grimaces and he fidgets with the watch out of a force of habit. “You actually reckon it’s good, though?”

“ _Of course_.” Brett snorts and he carefully fixes James’ collar, patting it down until it settles into place. “The Official Brett Hundley Seal of Fuck-ability. You and I are the experts in gorgeous, right?”

James peeks at himself in the mirror one more time and can’t help but stand a little taller. It really is a great look and he just hopes that Aleks feels the same way.

“Ok, strip off now or we won’t be able to pay for them,” Brett says. James nods as he shrugs off the jacket and gets to work on the buttons. “While you’re doing that, I’ve got a few things I need to pick up still, so I’ll meet you at the front in a few?”

Brett slips out of the dressing room and James takes his time getting back into his own clothes. Every move is calculated, and it allows him to sort of switch off and let his racing thoughts calm themselves. 

Besides, knowing Brett, he’ll be a little longer than a few minutes.

James eventually makes his way to the entrance with his bundle of clothes tucked under one arm. He scrolls away on Twitter to pass the time until Brett pokes him in the back and almost makes James shit himself. 

“ _Jesus_ , dude!” James yelps, but his stomach sinks even further when he spins around to find Brett holding a basket with all manner of colognes, hair products, shaving supplies and dare he say it, _makeup_ as well. 

“ _Makeup, Brett? Really?!”_ James spits and Brett only laughs as he shoves James towards the registers.

“Calm down, you big baby.” Brett smirks. “I’m just covering all our bases here.”

The bill isn’t exactly  _exorbitant_ , but it’s not really the kind of money normal people would have to throw around for a first date haul. For them, though, money hasn’t been an issue for the better part of a century. A few good choices on the stock market will do wonders for your financial security. 

As Brett fishes out one of their joint bank cards, James takes the bags from the flustered girl behind the register.

To make matters worse, when she hands Brett the receipt with shaking hands, the bastard winks at her and James could swear her legs almost give out.

As James apologises and shoves Brett out the door, the other incubus is cackling like a goddamn _child_.

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to play with your food?” James grumbles, and Brett needs to wipe the tears from his eyes.

“I _know_.” Brett wheezes. “But they really are so damn _funny_.”

“You’re a fucking _baby_ , you know that?”

“Let’s not forget who has more centuries on their clock, bud.”

James rectifies, “You’re an _ancient_ fucking baby.”

All Brett can do is laugh as he hails them another cab and they’re on their way home again, piled high with their collection of shopping bags.

Brett chucks their haul on the island as soon as they walk through the door and he looks down at his watch. 

“It’s only one.” He frowns, leaving the supplies on the counter as he grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and chucks one at James as well. “What’s the deal with this date tonight?”

“Reservation’s at 7,” James says, taking a welcome swig from his bottle. Shopping is _hard work_. “Aleks said he’d be picking me up at 6. Won’t tell me where the place is, though.” 

“Picking you up, huh?” Brett wiggles his eyebrows. “A _gentleman_.”

“Shut up.” James laughs. Although, by all accounts, Aleks really has been very chivalrous with him in the short time since they met.

“We’ve got a few hours to kill or you’ll just be sitting around in your fancy clothes for no reason,” Brett muses. “We could watch Netflix for a few hours?”

“Honestly? I think I’ve watched everything good on there by now.” James grimaces. 

Brett walks into the living area and holds up one of their Xbox One controllers, waving it around teasingly. “We never finished off BattleBlock Theater…”

“That’s because we raged so hard that we nearly killed each other.” James quirks an eyebrow.

His eyes still drift to the controller, though. It’s been  _ages_ since they played anything together, and if anything is gonna get his mind off his nerves, it’s the infuriating mechanics of multiplayer Theater. 

“Come onnnn…” Brett wheedles, making little prayer hands. “I’d consider it a great personal triumph if we managed to finish it without strangling each other.”

James smiles and he knows that he’s fucked.

“Two hours.” Brett cheers, handing James the other controller, and he pats the cushion next to him until James settles onto the couch. “Then we can throw the disk out and never think of it again.” 

James rolls his eyes and the chaos ensues.

The next two hours fly by in a blur of curse words and death threats, giggling like fucking children as they rage their way through the remaining levels of the game. As with most things, you don’t really realise how much you miss something until you try it again after a long time, and James is honestly surprised at the joy that he gets out of stumbling through the remainder of that enraging game with Brett by his side. 

“SO, YOUR BEST FRIEND’S A VEGETABLE NOW, BLAH BLAH BLAH, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY, WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU POTATOES, YOU MAKE POTATO SALAD. AND I’VE GOT JUST THE RECIPE. HIT IT!” 

“Thank fuck.” James laughs breathlessly, promptly flinging the controller down on the couch as the narrator takes off in a spirited rendition of ‘Buckle Your Pants’. “That’s 10 hours of my life I’ll never get back.” 

Brett chuckles, slapping him on the back. “10 hours out of two centuries doesn’t seem like all that bad of a deal, mate.”

“The mental scarring will last an eternity.” James snorts, watching the little puppets flail about onscreen as the song dissolves into a cacophony of epic proportions.

“Come on then,” Brett says, “let’s get you ready for date night.” 

James stretches as Brett turns the console off, working a kink out of his shoulder and when he turns around, Brett is already rifling through the bags. Without looking up, Brett snaps his fingers and points at the nearest barstool, beckoning James over.

“ _Rude._ ” James huffs, but takes a seat regardless. 

Brett resurfaces with shaving cream and a razor and James’ instinctual reaction is to shriek and try to escape the chair. “Don’t you fucking _dare!”_

“Calm down, dumbass! I’m just doing a bit of light grooming.” Brett snorts and pushes James back onto the barstool, holding him there with those formidable arms of his. After a few seconds, James realises that resistance is futile, and he stops fighting it. Brett might be an annoying motherfucker, but he’s not the type to purposely ruin such an important moment in James’ life for his own amusement.

Brett peruses James, fingers gently securing his chin so he can tilt James’ face from side to side. “You’re a little rough around the edges, is all.”

True to his word, Brett is careful as he uses the precision razor to clean up the edges of James’ beard, even going so far as to trim the stragglers that worm their way down his throat. 

Brett tips his head again, studying his work with as much focus as a painter to their canvas and he nods to himself.

James hadn’t even noticed them previously, but Brett reaches into a bag with his free hand and pulls out a tiny pair of scissors. Before James even has a chance to panic, Brett deftly snips off the few loose hairs that had obviously been evading his clean-up job.

“Done!” Brett smirks, and he hands James the small mirror on the table.

James remains cautious, but he slowly raises the mirror to his face, and he’s surprised at what he sees.

He _had_ thought that his beard was nice already, but he’s honestly floored at the difference the little trim makes. The shape is cleaner now, more refined. It follows the line of his jaw, sweeping up to transition flawlessly into his hairline. The new shape accentuates his lips and face shape more, but it still looks like _him_. 

In comparison, his previous facial hair had looked like hot garbage.

“I… _Wow._ ”

“You’re _welcome_ , my friend.” Brett laughs and he seems proud as he watches James admire his handiwork.

“Ok, _fine_ , I’ll admit it! I’m impressed.”

Brett looks genuinely glad, and James can’t help but beam at him.

“Okie dokes, Princess, hair’s up next.”

“But I like my hair already!” James gripes, twirling a lock around his finger self-consciously. 

“You’ve had it pulled into a bun for the greater part of two centuries, James.” Brett purses his lips, and he grabs a brush and some hair products off the counter. “Let me take a look at it, at least.” 

“Don’t mess it up.” James frowns, and Brett barks a short laugh and spins the stool around so he can get behind him.

“As if it were possible to get messier than you throwing it up in a bun every morning.” 

James feels Brett’s fingers as they gently tug at the tie holding his hair at bay, and then it’s out and the curls reappears, framing his head like a mane.

Even after two hundred years on this Earth, there’s still little things you learn all the time and when Brett’s fingers sweep through James’ hair, trailing over his scalp, he can’t help but melt into the stool. Today happens to be the day James learns that having his hair played with feels… _nice_. 

Brett picks up the brush and starts combing through James’ hair, working around his horns as best he can. There’s the occasional twinge of pain when it snags on a knot, but James honestly starts zoning out as Brett does whatever he’s doing. He could be scalping James’ hair right now, and James is so gone that he probably wouldn’t even realise if it were to happen. 

Thankfully, that’s _not_ what Brett does and James closes his eyes and just drifts with the sensation as Brett rubs some oil between his fingers and gently works it into James’ curls.

He comes back to himself when Brett brushes his hair back and pulls it into another ponytail, albeit neater than James’ own one, then deftly secures the bun with another elastic band, prodding the curls so they fan out evenly. 

Brett walks around him for one last inspection, but he seems content with his handiwork. He hands James the mirror again and James can’t help but smile as he stares at his hair that now looks glossy and strong, wound into a bun pretty similar to his usual one but looking more refined than he can ever manage alone.

“It’s great,” James says, but there’s some doubt nagging at the corner of his mind, “but should I wear it down instead?” 

“Definitely this.” Brett shakes his head, tucking a stray curl back behind James’ right horn. “Wear it up, wine and dine, have a great time. Then you go home, take it down, and _boom_ , sex hair.” 

James snorts at the implication, but Brett actually does have a point. Now that his attention has been brought to it, his hair hadn’t even been down that first night with Aleks. If tonight goes well, then it could be a nice surprise to end off their date. 

“Ok, fair point.” James nods.

“This is great.” Brett smiles. “Two best buds working together to help one of them get laid. I feel like we’ve reached the next level of our friendship.”

“Next level of our friendship, huh?” James rolls his eyes. “Are you forgetting ’73?”

“We do not speak of that unholy year.” Brett shudders and James pouts.

“I’d never felt closer to you.” James sighs, resting the back of his hand over his forehead to emulate a swoon.

“It was a moment of weakness on both our parts.” Brett sniffs, mortified. “In our defence, I suppose you’ve gotta try everything at least once.”

“That you do.” James laughs, and he checks his phone. 

He won’t admit that he’s hoping to find a text from Aleks there, but he needs to remind himself that there’s no need for one to be. Aleks will literally be picking him up in an hour, and James still finds himself desperate to see him again. _Too_ desperate, if he’s being honest.

“Now.” Brett interrupts his thoughts, and James shoves his phone back into his pocket. “Go get your stuff on. We’ve gotta do the finishing touches before he shows up.”

James takes his pile of clothes with him as he slips into his room and it’s easy enough to redress in the same outfit from earlier in the day. The difference that the grooming makes is subtle, but it seems to heighten the entire look to another level, and James is thankful for that. 

It’s one thing to go outside and _know_ he’s gorgeous when everyone is seeing their ideal version of him, but to see his own true form cleaned up in this way—probably the best he’s seen it in his whole life—is another thing entirely. 

James immediately walks out and pulls Brett into a hug, catching the other incubus off guard.

“Thank you,” he says, and it sounds small even to his own ears, “for everything.” 

“No problem.” Brett chuckles quietly as he gingerly returns James’ embrace. “But watch it! You won’t be looking so nice if you mess up all my hard work before the date even starts.” 

“Sorry, _uh_ , yeah…” James says and he pulls back to plant himself on the barstool in front of Brett, coughing awkwardly.

Brett circles him a few times, fixing a stray hair and making sure his collar is lined up right, then he nods slowly.

“Looking sharp, bud.” Brett grins. “Now, show us those pearly whites.”

James grimaces at him, and Brett checks his teeth as well. 

“Yup. Lookin’ good,” he says and before James can close his mouth, Brett throws a mint inside.

James almost gags at the surprise object suddenly in his throat, but Brett just laughs and tells him to chew. 

“Have it now and you won’t taste it when you’re eating.” Brett grins, patting James’ cheek. “Wouldn’t want to scare him away with bad breath, would we?” 

James looks at him like he’s crazy, which he _really_ is.

“Let me have my fun.” Brett pouts, producing three bottles of cologne from a bag. “Try these out.”

James frankly thinks this is overkill, but he does a patch test of the three fragrances and finds that he really likes the middle one, a small bottle with a black-and-white photo of some dude’s abs that James finds both hilarious and mortifying. Despite the packaging being moderately cringeworthy, the scent is honestly perfect, and he allows Brett to spray it around his neck and wrists until there’s just a subtle hint of that intoxicating profile about him.

Jesus. Even _he’s_ attracted to the damn thing.

“FIERCE, huh? Not bad.” Brett hums, taking a whiff of the scent. “The lady at the store said it was her favourite.”

Brett steps back, giving James a once-over, and he holds two thumbs up.

“We’re done, man. You look _great!”_

James smiles at him and walks through to his room so he can use the full-length mirror to verify Brett’s statement.

As he twists and turns, looking at himself from every angle, James can’t help but beam. If _this_ is what Aleks is gonna see tonight, James suddenly doesn’t feel so terrified. 

Brett appears in his doorway and pretends to shed a single tear. “ _I’m so proud of myself!”_  

James _could_ tell him to go fuck himself, but he settles for a quiet, “thank you.”

“You’ve got, like, half an hour,” Brett says, glancing at his watch, “so try not to destroy it before he gets here.”

Brett walks up behind him, and James turns around to smirk at him. 

“I’m ready, huh?”

“Not quite.” Brett chuckles and he holds up another a stick of peppermint gum, slipping it into James’ left pocket. “For after dinner, if ya need it.”

Then he holds up _two_ fucking _condoms_ and James just about loses his mind.

“ _Seriously, Brett?”_ James groans. “You _know_ we can’t get STI’s.”

“Of course we can’t.” Brett rolls his eyes and shoves the little packets into James’ right pocket. “They’re a precaution. Worst case scenario, you don’t use them. But Aleks might not have any left, and not everyone’s a fan of getting come in their ass.”

“ _Please._ ” James snorts. “We both know Aleks isn’t bottoming. At least not tonight.”

A mental image suddenly flashes across James’ mind, so vibrant and intense that it takes his breath away; the thought of Aleks above him, fingering him open slowly, kissing down his throat as James arches up towards him.

He needs to shake it off, the blush already rising high in his cheeks. _Jesus._ No time for that now. _Later_ , if he’s lucky.

James finds himself on the couch, toying away on his phone for the next half hour and his phone buzzes right on time.

**Your chariot awaits.**  

“He’s here.” James gasps, and he suddenly feels breathless. “ _Holy shit_.”

“Hey, calm down!” Brett says, “It’s gonna be perfect.”

He hands James his wallet and nudges him towards the door.

“You…don’t you want to meet him?” James asks, managing to send a quick reply to Aleks and shove his phone in his pocket with trembling fingers.

“Of course.” Brett smiles. “But tonight is about the two of you. Go have fun!”

James nods, takes a deep breath and forces himself out the door before he can talk himself out of it.

The elevator ride to the ground floor feels simultaneously way too long and not long enough, and James steps out into the lobby with his insides twisting themselves in knots. 

The Camaro is right down the front steps, parked neatly beside the curb, and Aleks leans against the passenger’s side door.

He looks fucking _incredible_. He’s freshly shaven, apart from the hint of a moustache that James thinks is really fucking cute. He’s got a dark shirt on, and the neckline swoops low enough that James can just see a hint of the eagle tattoo on his chest, behind the silver chain that dives below his collar. He’s wearing a black blazer over it all. The jeans are fairly similar to James’ own, and they seem to match his outfit just as well as James’. He’s got black dress shoes and they set the rest of the outfit off perfectly.

Aleks smiles when he sees him, and it’s like the entire world clicks into place.

“Uh… _hi.”_ James says. He knows it’s a stupid opener, but his mouth suddenly feels like sandpaper.

“Hey yourself.” Aleks grins, and he looks like he’s fucking _glowing_ , the diffused light from the lamppost above him sparkling off the remaining blonde streaks in his hair and reflected in his eyes.

James finally manages to make it down the stairs and it’s only when he draws his eyes up from his feet to the man in front of him that he notices Aleks is staring.

“What?” James asks, suddenly feeling like his entire body is being taken apart in Aleks’ gaze, “What is it?”

“You look…” Aleks seems at a loss for words and he slowly reaches out with one finger to tuck a hair back behind James’ ear. It looks like there’s a million different emotions swimming in those eyes, but every single one of them are positive. “ _Wow_ , James. You look…exquisite.”

“That’s a pretty complex descriptor you got there.” James chuckles, yet he can still feel the heat reach his cheeks.

“I’ve had to learn a lot for you.” Aleks hums. “You’re beyond my regular vocabulary.”

James stands there for maybe another thirty seconds, just looking at Aleks, really drinking every detail in and Aleks does the same. Neither of them seems willing to disturb that quiet, intimate space between them. 

Somewhere in the silence, Aleks’ hand finds his and that small, reassuring squeeze is all that James needs.

“Can—can I kiss you?” he asks, barely there.

It gets Aleks to laugh, at least, his eyes crinkling up and those perfect teeth of his glowing in the night. His thumb brushes over James’ lip for just a fraction of a second, but the sensation lingers like lightning sweeping beneath James’ skin.

“As much as I’m _aching_ for that, I’m in charge of giving you your first and foremost dating experience, so we’re gonna do this by the books.”

“Not fair.” James pouts and Aleks just smirks.

“I’ve already had your dick in my mouth,” James adds—as if that’s reason alone to skip the rule book—but Aleks remains steadfast. 

“Sorry, love.” Aleks smooths James’ frown lines with his thumb. “But I’m being a gentleman tonight. Like I said, this is all part of the courtship.”

James wants to argue, but the primitive part of his brain sort of short-circuits at the fact that Aleks just called him ‘ _love_ ’, even if it was just an offhand remark. 

“You smell _great_ , by the way,” Aleks says. “What is that?”

“ _FIERCE._ ” James rolls his eyes. “Brett had a little too much fun getting me ready for this.” 

Aleks wiggles his eyebrows, giggling. “Good thing I’ll be smelling like it by the end of the night.” 

“ _Excuse you!”_ James gapes, swatting at him. “What happened to being a _gentleman?”_

“After the date is free game.” Aleks points out, stepping to the side so he can open the car door with a flourish and a wink. “Shall we?”

Seriously fighting the urge to roll his eyes, James slides into the passenger’s seat and Aleks gently closes the door behind him.

James can’t help but watch Aleks as he walks around the front of the Camaro to settle into the driver’s seat. He still can’t get over all the effort Aleks has put into making this special for him.

Aleks jams out to the radio the entire drive, and James feels his heart swell at seeing the man so carefree and vibrant, so _human_.

As they pull up to the front of the restaurant, James is startled when a man in a tailored vest and bowtie opens the door for him and offers his hand.

He looks back at Aleks, bewildered, and Aleks merely quirks an eyebrow at him and nods towards the valet’s outstretched hand.

James’ mind is racing a million miles an hour, but he takes the young man’s hand and steps out of the Camaro, much to the valet’s shock. He stutters out a quiet, “Good evening, ma’am”, before stumbling around to take the keys from Aleks. 

Aleks brushes down his blazer, but James can see him watch his car disappear around the corner with something akin to worry in his eyes. He comes to stand beside James and James takes his hand in what he hopes is a comforting gesture.

“Never used a valet service before,” Aleks admits forlornly. “It feels weird to not be doing it myself.”

“Don’t worry,” James says, “the safety standards at these kinds of places are exorbitant. If they left a scratch on somebody’s ride, there’d be hell to pay.”

Aleks’ gaze lingers for a moment more, but he seems appeased by the news.

“Speaking of exorbitant…” James mutters, looking up at the elegant restaurant before them. The place is massive, with warm light spilling onto the street from what looks to be a dining room with standards that would fit royalty. Marble pillars lead to the entrance, where gilded doors are swung open to reveal an ornate lectern from which the hostess checks reservations. 

“What in the _hell_ are we doing here, Aleksandr?!” James hisses, staring at this establishment that looks as though they’d charge you just to walk through the front door. “You know I would have been perfectly happy to eat at a fast food joint.”

“None of that!” Aleks sniffs, holding James’ hand in his. “I told you I was going to make this perfect, and that’s _exactly_ what I’m going to do. Even if I need to live off cup noodles for a year…” 

James allows Aleks to lead him towards the entrance, but he still feels guilt eating away at him.

“This is way too much, Aleks...” He whines, but Aleks just squeezes his hand and smiles at him. It’s actually fucking _criminal_ how that small gesture calms his racing heart.

The hostess greets them as soon as they enter and she’s as gracious as anyone being paid a high wage for minimal effort.

“ _Wonderful._ Two for the Marchant party. If you’ll kindly follow me, I’ll show you to your table.”

As Aleks carefully guides him through the space, James can feel every eye in the room on him. For the first time in his life, all it does is make him feel exposed.

“A private romance table.” The hostess beams as they make their way around a large feature wall dividing the restaurant space. There’s still a fair number of tables here, but they’re all set for two people, and the space is much quieter than the main dining area. “Your champagne has been chilled and is ready to serve, Mr Marchant. I do hope you find everything is to your satisfaction.”

She shows them to a candle-lit table near the back, and Aleks immediately moves to pull out James’ chair, chuckling quietly at James blushing like a goddamn tomato.

“We have an exquisite menu for you tonight and your waiter will come by shortly to take your order,” the hostess chirps and she does a little half-curtsey.

“Mr Marchant.” She nods at Aleks, then looks to James. “Sir.”

Aleks watches her leave, mouth hanging open still, and his grin is incredulous when he looks back to James.

“Is it always like this?” he asks and James can only snort.

“Pretty much.” He smirks. “But you get used to it eventually. As long as they’re giving you what you want, just go with it.”

Aleks chuckles quietly, but his eyes widen when he opens the menu to see the ridiculous prices held within. 

“Like I said.” He grimaces. “Cup noodles for a year.” 

“Right, that’s enough!” James mutters, leaning over the table to get his point across. “This right here is the sweetest and most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me in my entire fucking life and I’m so happy right now that I’d suck your dick in the middle of this restaurant, but I _refuse_ to let you pay for this dinner.” 

Aleks glares, leaning in to match James’ position. “I told you, James. This is the perfect first date I promised, and I couldn’t care less if this fucking night _bankrupted_ me. The way you look tonight? And the look on your face when we drove up here?  _No_ amount of money is worth that.”

“You have a dog…and a cat…” James pleads, trying to sway Aleks with the doe-eyes Brett always complains about him having. “You can’t let them starve!”

Aleks laughs then, patting James’ hand. “Nice try, dude, but I’m not _that_ poor.”

James huffs, but Aleks pulls his hand up until he can drop a kiss on the back of it.

“Hey, don’t worry!” Aleks insists and James feels like he’s lost in those eyes. “This is my treat, and I want both of us to enjoy it.”

Their waiter appears then, disturbing them from their private conversation, and James sits back, although his hand never leaves Aleks’.

As the waiter approaches, his attention is riveted on James. He immediately comes up to ask James what he’d like to order, hardly sparing a glance in Aleks’ direction. 

“Good evening, ma’am,” he simpers, and James can’t help but notice that he’s turned in a way that puts his back to Aleks, though Aleks hasn’t seemed to notice yet, eyes still on his menu. “May I take your order?”

“Not yet, _thank you_.” James throws right back at him, barely keeping the sarcasm out of his voice, and he very deliberately turns to Aleks. “What about you, sweetheart? What are you feeling like?”

The waiter’s mouth twitches, but he manages to plaster on a fake smile before Aleks looks up from his menu.

“I, uh…yeah. I’ll have the rib eye, thank you.” Aleks beams, blissfully unaware of the waiter’s utter distaste for him, and James feels what he can only describe as a surge of adoration swelling in his chest.

“Of course, sir.” The waiter says, but he sounds like he’d rather jump off a bridge than acknowledge Aleks’ existence.

“And have you decided what you would like to order, ma’am?” The waiter turns back to James, every trace of disdain gone from his voice. Aleks seems to finally recognise the change in his tone and put two and two together. Well, it’s either that or the fact that he’s just realised the waiter is referring to James as a woman. 

James honestly doesn’t even want to look at the man anymore, so he skims down the menu and chooses the first thing that stands out to him. 

“I’ll have the Pappardelle Mimmo,” James murmurs, folding his menu without sparing the waiter another glance and when the man seems eager to stay, he curtly adds, “That will be all.” 

“Very good,” the waiter says through that same sickly-sweet smile and he finally leaves to take their order to the kitchen.

Aleks watches him go, and his brows knit together. “Did I…say something wrong?”

“Of course not.” James squeezes his hand and smiles sadly. “It’s just…human nature.”

“I don’t get it,” Aleks says, quiet and confused.

“You asked me before if it’s always like this, and I told you yes. But we’re not just talking about wealth here.” James takes a sip of his champagne, swirling the liquid around his glass as he thinks. “There’s a reason they say beauty is a curse, Aleks. It does stuff to people that clouds their judgement and taints their actions, can make them act no better than wild animals. I walk through life with people falling to their knees to gain my favour, yet I never know whether they really care about _me_ or just the beautiful form they’re seeing before them.” 

Aleks stares at him, still trying to work through what James is telling him.

“Our waiter sees a beautiful woman sitting at this table with you, the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen, and his entire demeanour has boiled down to pure jealousy,” James continues, gesturing in the general direction of the kitchen. “Jealousy over _you_ , Aleks. His brain simply can’t move past it, can’t stop screaming ‘Why isn’t that _me?’_ , ‘Why is _he_ sitting with her while I’m serving them food?’.” 

“I’m sorry that you need to deal with this, Aleks, _especially_ tonight, but this is just an inescapable part of my world. In other people’s eyes, you will _never_ be good enough for me.” James says it all in a rush, just needs to get this out, and he pushes forward before Aleks has a chance to speak. “But I want you to listen to me _right fucking now_ , Aleksandr. You became my entire world the moment you told me you could see _me._ And no matter what this _waiter_ , or _any_ other person on this goddamn planet ever says or does, the only person who means a damn thing to me will always be _you_ , got it?” 

There’s a good minute of silence, and Aleks swallows thickly.

“Holy shit,” he finally says, but it’s barely audible. 

“Don’t cry.” James smirks, but he hands Aleks a napkin regardless.

“Don’t hit me with surprise admissions of adoration then, asshole!” Aleks counters, drying his eyes. “Holy _shit!”_  

“I’m sorry…” James sighs. “I’m not… _good_ with this kind of stuff. The only person I’ve spend any amount of time with over the last few centuries is Brett, and he’s just a weirdo.”

Aleks laughs again, more startled than anything else and he raises his glass to take a quick sip of his champagne.

“Well then.” Aleks grins and James isn’t sure whether his eyes are shining from good humour or the tears from earlier. “Cheers to learning experiences all-around, hey?”

“Cheers!” James giggles.

Funnily enough, the clink of their glasses just happens to coincide with the reappearance of their waiter, who sweeps over to them with a plate in each hand. He starts with James, of course, but James can tell that Aleks is paying much closer attention this time, probably trying to evaluate the man’s jealousy for himself.

“For you, ma’am, we have the exquisite Pappardelle Mimmo, with scallops, lobster, asparagus, butter, sage and truffle oil.” The waiter practically sings the words, gently placing the bowl before James.

Then he turns to Aleks.

“And for you, _sir_ , the rib eye.”

Aleks licks his lips, looking James in the eye, then turns to the waiter, eyes absolutely sparkling. 

“Wonderful!” Aleks crows, the picture of an absolute trickster. “Now, you wouldn’t mind reminding me what it includes, would you? I have _very_ strict quality standards when it comes to my food.”

“Of _course_ , sir,” the waiter grits out. James has to hold back a giggle at how strained he looks, like he’s one second away from strangling Aleks in the middle of this restaurant. “This 18 oz rib eye is smoked using applewood and is served with potato cylinders confit and sautéed mushrooms.”

“That sounds excellent.” Aleks nods, seemingly satisfied with the quality of his meal and the annoyance of their waiter. “Thank you.”

“It is my _honour_ , sir.” The man smiles, and he backs away with death in his eyes.

“You’re such a piece of shit!” James wheezes, watching as Aleks dissolves into a fit of laughter as well. “I thought I was gonna have to stop a brawl.”

“Dude, you weren’t lying.” Aleks chortles, cutting into his steak and trying a bite. He makes an approving noise, so James takes that as a sign the meal is good. “That guy hates my fucking _guts!”_  

James snorts, spearing some pasta and a scallop on his fork. He waves it accusingly at Aleks before popping it in his mouth. “You’re a shit-stirrer, that’s what you are.”

“Hey.” Aleks shrugs, piling some mushrooms on his steak. “He started it first!”

James can only laugh.

The rest of their meal flows quickly after that point, aided by a bottle of wine that Aleks takes great pleasure in ordering from the waiter. James honestly can’t remember the last time he’s talked or laughed this much, but conversation just flies by when he’s in Aleks’ company. 

“Now,” Aleks says, pushing his empty plate forward, “are we interested in dessert? I’m a shameless sweet tooth, but that steak was massive, and I honestly don’t reckon I could fit anything else.” 

James wipes the corners of his mouth with a napkin and finishes off the remainder of his wine.

“You could _probably_ convince me,” James muses, and his grin is mischievous. “ _But_ , there’s something much sweeter you could give me at home.”

“Ahh.” Aleks hums, playing along without even skipping a beat. “And what would that be, exactly?”

“Oh, it was just a passing comment, really.” James shrugs, studying his watch. “I do believe it had something to do with _‘dicking a demon’_ , though.”

Aleks grins, those gleaming teeth laid bare in a smile that James could only describe as carnal. Aleks snaps in the direction of their detestable waiter, dark eyes never leaving James’. 

“Check, please!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 Soundtrack: [Starving by Hailee Steinfeld, Grey and Zedd](https://open.spotify.com/track/4Ce37cRWvM1vIGGynKcs22?si=6QZCdwYQRD-dC8pe5kwacw)


	5. I'm weaker than a man should be

If it weren’t for Mishka and Celia, their clothes would be off as soon as they were through the front door, but James needs to remind himself that he doesn’t want to scar their innocent little brains with his salacious plans for their dad.

It still doesn’t make either of them less desperate, though.

“Bed,” Aleks rasps, hanging up his car keys while James makes a beeline for the bedroom.

“Pets,” he reminds before he slips inside, shutting the door behind him.

He can hear Aleks moving through the apartment, hopefully keeping Mishka away from what they’re about to do and he quickly glances around. Everything looks tidy enough; Aleks probably anticipated them coming straight back here. James decides to dim the lights a bit just to set the mood.

He’s just toeing off his shoes when the door flies open and Aleks quickly closes it behind himself.

“You good?” Aleks asks, already shrugging off his blazer. He pulls the shirt over his head and James’ mouth suddenly goes dry. _Hot damn_ , shirtless Aleks with those jeans is a _great_ fucking look.

“I’ll be better when you’re in me.” James smirks and Aleks chokes on air.

“Keep talking like that and I won’t even make it to the bed.” Aleks groans, desperately trying to hop out of his pants.

James chuckles, working away on his own clothes until they’re pooled on the floor.

When he turns around, Aleks is just staring at him.

“ _What?”_ James asks, blush staining his cheeks. He feels like he’s being picked apart, scrutinized under Aleks’ gaze, almost like Aleks is doing his best to commit every inch of James’ body to memory. 

Aleks swallows, and he slowly crawls across the bed to sit behind James. 

“Could I…” He breathes, eyes flitting to James’ head. “Is it okay if I put your hair down?” 

“ _Oh._ Yeah, s-sure…” James says, just as quiet. He stills as Aleks gently picks at the hair tie holding his bun together.

His curls fall down into their ponytail first, before Aleks takes out the second tie and they’re fully unleashed. They puff out around his head, flow down over his shoulders and back. 

Aleks gasps, delighted, petting his fingers through the dark locks. James can’t will himself to look back at Aleks, his entire body as hot as an open flame.

“Hey,” Aleks murmurs, carefully shifting James’ hair from his left shoulder. James shivers and gasps when he feels Aleks’ lips come into contact with warm, exposed skin. “Look at me, baby.”

James breathes slowly, looking over his shoulder to see Aleks smiling at him.

“Want me to take care of you, love?” Aleks whispers and James is powerless to resist those eyes, that face.

He nods, not trusting himself to articulate the words correctly and Aleks absolutely _beams_.

“Come on…” he murmurs, guiding James onto his back. “I’ve got you.”

Aleks hovers over James, staring down at him again, and James is entranced in that gaze.

“You’re so _beautiful,_ James,” Aleks whispers, moving one of his hands so he can stroke James’ cheek, brush the hair from his face.

Aleks kisses him, then, and it’s everything James had been craving since the first moment he saw him dressed up all fancy and leaning against his car.

Aleks’ lips move against his own, unbearably soft. His tongue seeks an opening and James’ allows it, completely overwhelmed. He can still taste the champagne on Aleks’ breath and it makes him sigh and arch, fingers instinctively finding their way into Aleks’ hair. 

It might last a minute or an hour, but it ends where the next begins; one kiss after the other until James’ head is spinning. Aleks’ lips feel like silk as they glide over his cheeks, his nose, every inch of hypersensitive skin that Aleks has access to, and James doesn’t ever want it to end.

“ _Please_.” He sighs, fingers gripping at Aleks’ wrist and Aleks blinks slowly, pulling away.

“Lube.” Aleks nods, as if he needs to remind himself how to function again. He leans down to kiss James one more time before he stretches across to rummage through his bedside drawer. He eventually finds the bottle and then he’s back to James’ side in an instant.

With the lube warming between his fingers, Aleks hovers over James, seemingly entranced by his gaze again. It’s only when James makes another desperate noise that he seems able to kick himself into gear.

“Ok, baby, hold on, I’ve got ya,” he says, eyes flitting down from James’ face to where James is already half-hard, shining with precome. “Raise your leg up, _yep_ , just like that, _there you go_. You’re absolutely _perfect_ , sweetheart.”

James gasps, completely and utterly _gone_. Aleks hasn’t even properly _touched_ him yet, and the endearments alone are enough to have him frantic.

Aleks’ arm slips under his leg, supporting him there and James almost chokes when he first feels the steady pressure of Aleks massaging along his taint, slick fingers teasing his hole.

“Ready?” Aleks asks and James can only nod.

Aleks presses just the tip of a finger in at first, testing the waters, and he seems satisfied by the soft, wanting noise James can’t help but let out as his eyes flutter shut. There’s the usual stinging sensation that accompanies the stretch, but it’s nothing James’ hasn’t already grown accustomed to. He finds himself desperate to speed things up, bearing down on Aleks until the man gets the message and has worked up to the whole finger. 

Aleks’ eyes don’t leave his for a single second and James feels like he’s drowning in a sea of dark waters. 

Despite James’ insistence, Aleks takes his time working in the second finger, his free hand loosely wrapped around James’ dick so he can give him that little bit of stimulation that’ll open his body up easier. He scissors his fingers a bit, watches with rapt attention whenever a stray brush of James’ prostate makes him arch and pant. When Aleks finally adds a third finger, pressing in deeper to deliver some steady pressure to that sweet spot, James thrashes, tears pricking in his eyes. 

“Please, Aleks. _Fuck,_ please…” 

“ _Okay…_ ” Aleks gasps, somehow breathless despite his lack of exertion and James groans when Aleks’ fingers slip free of him. He feels utterly empty without them, perhaps even incomplete, in a way.

Aleks squirts some more lube onto his hands, but he doesn’t waste any time warming it, biting back a moan as he strokes himself to full hardness. 

As Aleks nestles between his legs, James can see him shudder as he fucks his fist, droplets of precome running over his knuckles as his eyes remain glued to James’ body beneath him the entire time.

“ _Fuck!”_ Aleks curses, lifting James’ ass up a bit so he can stuff a pillow beneath him. He folds James’ legs around his waist, lifting James’ thigh so he can shift as close as possible within the sheets. 

Aleks keeps one arm by James’ head, supports his weight there as he reaches the other down to line himself up with James’ hole, and James whines, arching closer.

When Aleks carefully presses in, James spasms _hard_ , and the shock of it allows even more of Aleks’ dick to sink into him.

Aleks makes a choked noise, eyes squeezed shut, but it doesn’t stop James from throwing a leg around his waist, wanting more of him. One of his hands flies up, fingers gripping in Aleks’ hair, as if he can ground himself that way.

“ _Aleks_ …” James urges, thumb sweeping across his cheeks. He needs to see those eyes—now more than ever—but it’s hard when his vision is blurred by tears. “Baby, look at me.” 

It takes a few seconds, but Aleks blinks his eyes open, staring down at James with a million different emotions swirling around them.

“ _James_ ,” he says, like it’s the only thing he _can_ say anymore.

James leans up to kiss him, drinks in that scent that’s so completely _Aleks_ and he finds himself crying again, hot tears leaking down his cheeks and into the pillow below him.

Aleks shifts then, pulling out a little and James feels like all the air has been punched from his lungs. His grip on Aleks’ is bruising, clutching at him like a drowning man seeking salvation.

“Aleks,” he grits out, waiting until Aleks’ eyes flicker up to meet his. “If you don’t start fucking me _right fucking now_ , I swear to God, I’ll murder you.”

Aleks laughs, though it sounds breathless and he nods. “Y-yeah. Hang on.” 

Aleks grips the back of James’ knee, angling it closer to him so he can get some traction. James can only go lax and let him take control, just needing  _something_.

Aleks gives him something. 

The movement is torturously slow, slicked by lube and the sweat trapped between their bodies. James will never admit to the noise that escapes his throat; sort of starts out like a whimper, but there’s no air left in his lungs, so it just dies off into a silent gasp.

The difference is startling, from one moment to the next; the transition from begging for more to suddenly having more than he thought he needed. James swears that he forgets how to breathe for a hot minute.

Aleks is pressed flush to James’ body now, lined up along every inch of him and James is so full he’s _losing his goddamn mind_. The only thing that could possibly make him feel any less embarrassed about his own reaction is that of Aleks’.

“ _Shit_.” Aleks sobs and he sounds _broken_ , absolutely torn apart. Every piece of him is laid bare for James to see, to relish in.

“Hey,” James whispers, holding Aleks’ face in his hands as his thumbs sweep the tears away. The fact that more come to replace them has something in James’ chest aching, but he smiles up at Aleks regardless. “We’re gonna do this together, yeah? Always together.”

Aleks watches him for a long time, breath rapid and frantic, skin flushed and burning hot to the touch, but James can see when Aleks finally understands.

“ _Together_.” 

James kisses him as they start rocking together carefully; long, smooth strokes that drive James wild as Aleks fucks him nice and deep.

Aleks has a _really fucking nice_ dick.

Seeing as James has… _extensive_ experience in the dick department, he reckons his opinion on the matter is a valid one. He can’t get over how perfect it feels inside him, how _right;_ like they’re two pieces of a puzzle and Aleks’ dick just happens to be his perfect fucking match. 

Aleks seems to be working up to his stride now that they’re moving, and he leans down to suck mark right into James’ throat that has James gasping and arching closer to him.

Aleks is hitting his prostate steadily now and James moans, nails clawing down his back, searching for purchase.

Aleks isn’t stupid and he obviously feels the change, keeps pounding in at that angle even as he’s kissing James at that sensitive bit of skin just behind his ear. Despite the onslaught, James is still confident in his ability to retain some semblance of control.

That is, until Aleks starts whispering. In fucking _Russian_ , no less.

“ _Come on_ , James,” he growls, so rough but so close to James’ ear that he can hear every minute hitch in his breath, every bit of strain where Aleks is trying to concentrate on his native language through the haze. “You’re so close now, aren’t you? I can _feel_ you, baby. You gonna—you gonna come for me?”

James has _no_ fucking chance.

Aleks raises himself up, never interrupting the snapping of his hips and he looks down at James like he’s seeing him for the first time. His pupils are blown so wide that his eyes are almost as black as James' own, shocked and awed as his moan cuts off.

He looks as wrecked as James feels, so when he says, “ _let go, baby. I’ve got you,_ ” again in Russian, there’s nothing for James to do but fall. 

James’ entire body locks up, every muscle coiled like a spring and the entire world shrinks down to a pin drop; nothing but those dark eyes.

Distantly, he can hear Aleks praising him—telling him how beautiful he is, how perfect—with quiet words, but the sound of his own blood pounding in his ears pretty much drowns it out.

He shudders with his release, spilling hot and wet across his own belly as Aleks keeps up the pressure, milks him for every fucking drop of come he’s worth.

It’s all over in what James can only assume is a few seconds, but it could have lasted an hour from his perspective. The wave smashes down over him and it leaves him completely boneless in the soft sheets, struggling to pull in a breath. 

It’s only when his head stops spinning that James realises Aleks hasn’t come yet. 

Aleks seems determined to rectify that situation, however, because he’s still shallowly grinding into James’ sensitive hole. The look on his face tells James that he’s teetering dangerously close to the edge. 

James lays his palm on Aleks’ chest, feels his heartbeat crashing against his ribs and he arches closer, squeezes encouragingly around Aleks’ dick to help him go over.

“ _Together._ ” James whispers, echoing their earlier exchange, but he switches to Russian this time because he knows it’s what Aleks needs from him right now. 

Aleks’ moan is frantic as he curls over James’ body and James gets to watch and feel him as he loses himself. It’s breathtaking, honestly, and James finally understands the look in Aleks’ eyes when he’d watched him fall apart. 

Aleks clenches his eyes shut, twitches _hard_. His leg draws up of its own accord, locking James’ body close to him, and his brows turn down almost as if he’s in pain. James feels the change inside of himself as well, feels Aleks’ dick pulsing with his release, and he’s so fucking _happy_ he decided not to use a condom.

Is it gonna be a lot of work to clean the come out later? _Yep._

Is it still worth it to feel _all_ of Aleks? _Abso-fucking-lutely._  

There’s tears pooling in Aleks’ eyes by the time it’s all over and he finally stills with an exhausted grunt, melting into a dead weight blanketing James’ body.

“Hey.” James laughs breathlessly, breath hot against Aleks’ skin. “Still alive?”

Aleks nips James’ shoulder before he pulls back, chuckling at James’ startled yelp and he grins down at James as he scowls. “No thanks to you, motherfucker.”

“ _Excuse me??”_ James huffs. He’d almost be tempted to pull away if the movement of Aleks’ laughter didn’t feel so fucking _good_ where they’re still both connected. “You just came _in_ me, asshole.” 

“ _Exactly._ ” Aleks giggles, leaning down to kiss James’ still-flushed cheeks, murmuring against his skin. “It ain’t fucking fair when you look _that_ good.” 

James clenches around his softening, oversensitive dick and he can feel Aleks jolt with a growl. It gets James to smile and he presses his own kiss to Aleks’ sweaty forehead. 

“Don’t test me,” James sing-songs, “we both know I could _break_ you.”

Aleks pants, but he’s smirking when he raises himself back up. “Coming from the guy who just cried having sex.” 

“You cried just as much as me,” James counters, smirking as well. “You don’t really have a leg to stand on, do ya?”

“Irrelevant,” Aleks mutters and he dives down to kiss James again, on the lips this time.

James can’t help but laugh as he rolls them over to the side. He presses closer to Aleks’ warmth, nuzzles into that soft skin and leaves as many kisses there as he can manage. Aleks’ hands are still roaming his back and hips, petting at the soft flesh, but James can tell he’s exhausted.

Aleks falls asleep first—which obviously isn’t a surprise—and James gets to listen to his deep breathing to lull himself into unconsciousness.

There’s nowhere he’d rather be.

 

* * *

 

 

James wakes first this time and his heart soars when he feels Aleks’ body in his arms.

Aleks is a mess; his hair sticking up in random directions and locks falling in his face. The bleach is almost gone now, just a few lighter strands scattered through the dark brown of his natural hair, but it somehow looks like it fits there, just like every other part of Aleks. 

They’re fused together with dried sweat, both of them totally gross, but James can’t think of a single thing he’d rather do than be right here in this moment, with Aleks snoring softly by his side. 

One part of him would love to spend the entire day in bed with him.

The other part remembers that he’s still got come in him.

_Ugh._

James carefully untangles himself from around Aleks’ body and manages to make it out of the bed without waking him. That being said, his magic ensures that Aleks is sleeping deeper than usual anyway. 

Aleks looks so peaceful there, tattoos on display as they trail up his arms and over his shoulders. James pulls the covers up to keep him warm. He kisses Aleks while he’s there, just because he can, and smiles to himself as he slips into the en suite. 

The shower is _heavenly_ and James sighs as the hot water runs down his body, soaking through his hair and washing away all but his memories of the night before. Aleks has a bottle of shower lotion sitting in the corner, so James reckons it’s worth it to lather up a handful and really get himself clean. The suds sweep over his skin, fizz and pop under the stream of water and are washed away with the dried sweat and bodily fluids. James steps out of the shower feeling blissfully clean and refreshed. 

His clothes from their date are still strewn on the floor, but James honestly can’t stand the thought of getting into such a stuffy outfit when he feels so damn comfortable. He searches the room and finds what looks to be Aleks’ only form of clothes storage; a medium-sized wooden wardrobe in the corner.

He peeks inside, and the selection is functional at best, mostly consisting of jeans, shirts and jumpers. One article immediately stands out to James, though; a tri-colour hoodie with black, white and royal blue.

He’s torn between _it’s super fucking creepy to wear the clothes of someone you just started seeing a few days ago_ and _holy shit that looks so comfy and I might die_.

Aleks snores softly and James decides to throw away all his morals and wear this hoodie. It smells like Aleks too, when he pulls it on; that musky, unforgettable scent from last night that’s so nice it can only belong to the man sleeping across the room from him. 

And _holy fuck_ is it comfier than James ever imagined.

He pads out to the living room in nothing but his briefs and _The Sacred Hoodie™_.  He’s almost reached the coffee pot when he suddenly remembers the little pup that Aleks had to keep away while they were having their fun last night.

He slowly opens the laundry door to peek inside and Mishka’s head shoots up, her tail immediately wagging all excitedly. She bounds over to the door, already well on her way to barking loud enough to wake Aleks from his much-needed rest, but James sinks to the floor and pulls her into a hug so she stays quiet, petting through her thick fur.

She smiles up at him, tongue rolling out as he gives her belly a good scratch and James is suddenly overcome at how much she reminds him of Ein; so vibrant and playful, so full of life. His heart aches for Ein’s memory, but he reminds himself that he’s got a pup right here in front of him that needs all the love he can give her, and he isn’t going to let her down.

Celia must have been chilling somewhere in the living area, because James suddenly feels her arch up against his back as she circles around the side of him. He’s happy to learn that she’s still just as open as last time. He pets her too, as she watches Mishka squirm around with what James can only describe as fond exasperation.

“Morning girls.” He chuckles, savouring their presence. “Aleks made me breakfast the first morning we were together, so I reckon I should return the favour, don’t you?”

Celia purrs and Mishka grins back at him, so James takes that as a sign of their obvious agreement.

“Can I tell you a secret, babies?” James murmurs, fiddling with Mishka’s collar. The girls say nothing, of course, but James continues on regardless. “I  _really_ like your Dad. I think I love him, actually. But you gotta promise not to tell him that yet, okay? I don’t wanna scare him off. I’m not sure how fast these things normally go for humans…”

It’s stupid, really, considering their lack of speech capabilities, but James feels like a weight has been lifted off his chest just to get the truth out there, even if he’s only confiding in Aleks’ pets.

When he stands and heads for the kitchen again, Mishka is hot on his heels. Even Celia patters along until she reaches the couch, leaping up to watch them move around the room.

As James searches through Aleks’ cupboards and fridge, hoping to find something that’ll make for a decent breakfast, he spies a bottle of powdered pancake mix sitting a few rows back.

“Bingo,” he says, reading the instructions on the back. He’s used to making his own pancakes from scratch, but these ones only need water to activate and Aleks must like them if he’s bought them. Besides, anything that makes his job easier is something James isn’t gonna complain about.

Taking a leaf out of Aleks’ book, James connects his phone to the hub and finds the first Spotify playlist that stands out to him—a short mix of 50’s and 60’s hits—just so he has something quiet to listen to while he cooks.

Frank Sinatra is the first singer who comes up and James grins to himself as he fills the bottle with water, twisting the cap on and shaking the mix.

_You make me feel so young,_

_You make me feel so spring has sprung._

James pops the cap and checks the consistency of the batter, humming along as he grabs a frying pan and spatula out from the drawers. 

_And every time I see you grin,_

_I'm such a happy individual._

James leaves the hotplate to heat up as he wanders into Aleks’ room, leaning over the bed to gently wake him up.

Aleks snuffles quietly, scrunching his nose up, and James just keeps stroking through his hair as he blinks up at him with bleary eyes. He can tell when Aleks realises it’s him, because he immediately smiles, his hand reaching out to pet James’ thigh. 

“Morning, baby.” James giggles, leaning down to kiss him as Aleks makes a quiet, contented noise against his lips.

James pulls back, absolutely _glowing_ with how happy he is. His hand finds Aleks’, thumb tracing the warm skin.

“I’m making you pancakes,” James says, and he loves how he can see the spark of excitement in Aleks’ eyes. “Wake yourself up a bit and come get them while they’re hot, yeah?” 

“M’kay” Aleks mumbles, voice and eyes still heavy with sleep, but he starts stretching out. 

James can’t help but smile as he pats him on the leg and leaves Mishka licking around Aleks’ face to make sure he gets up.

The frying pan is nice and hot when James gets back so he pours out three evenly spaced dollops of batter, setting up a few plates and cutlery until the bubbles form on top.

The pan isn’t non-stick, unfortunately, so James is worried he might ruin the entire batch, but when he tries brushing some melted butter on the spatula, the pancakes seem to slip off the surface just fine.

He searches the cupboard again while the other side cooks, smiling when he finds a bottle of honey right up the front. He places it on the counter and checks the pancakes again. They’re a little overcooked but not half bad for his first try, so James flips them onto Aleks’ plate.

Spotify has already cycled through a few more songs, but James notices as soon as Dean Martin starts crooning softly in the background.

_You're nobody ‘til somebody loves you,_

_You're nobody ‘til somebody cares._  

“How true, Mr Martin.” James laughs to himself, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl.

When he turns around to place it on the countertop, Aleks is shuffling into the room, his hair barely tamed and a loose pair of pyjamas hanging off him as Mishka hops around his legs, tail wagging like crazy. James can only smile at the sight. 

_Well, you're nobody ‘til somebody loves you,_

_So find yourself somebody to love._

Aleks falls into a barstool, looking across at James.

“You wearin’ my hoodie now, huh?” He smirks and James flushes with embarrassment.

“Yeah, uh—sorry…” James says, absolutely mortified. “I had a shower and it looked… _really_ comfy.”

“You’re good, James.” Aleks chuckles, eyeing him up and down in a way that makes James’ cheeks burn even more. “ _Besides_ , you look hot in it anyway.”

“Shut _up._ ” James laughs, turning back to the stove to hide his face. “How do you like your cakes, by the way?”

“I honestly don’t mind,” Aleks says from behind him and James can hear the scrape of a plate against the tabletop. “As long as they’re not burnt, I’ll just chuck whatever I can on them.”

“Gotcha,” James murmurs, pouring out another batch into the pan. “Start with those and I’ll get some more going. They should still be hot.”

James turns around to see Aleks spearing into a pancake, and it looks nice and fluffy from this distance. He lathers it in honey and pops it in his mouth, and James smiles when Aleks makes an appreciative noise, immediately folding up another. 

It feels good to watch Aleks eat, to know that he’s helping to provide. He’d never tell Aleks, but the little bit of fat that sits around his belly is _insanely_ cute. James wants to keep it there, wants to kiss it and bite it and do… _so many things_ to it.

His mind quickly gets carried away from him and James needs to check on the pancakes to distract himself before he pops a fucking _boner_ in the middle of the kitchen. _Jesus_. 

“These are— _so fucking good_ , babe.” Aleks almost moans, and James sees him scraping his plate clean, still looking over at James ravenously. “Holy _shit!”_

James wheezes, flipping the next batch of cakes onto Aleks’ plate and Aleks looks at him like he’s just saved his life, immediately tucking in and cursing at how hot they are. 

“Hungry, big boy?” James smirks, leaning on the counter to watch Aleks eat.

“Fucking starving,” Aleks agrees through a mouthful of pancake, simultaneously chopping up a banana to put on his next one.

“That may be my fault, now that I think about it…” James muses, pouring out another batch because Aleks is rapidly approaching the end of the previous one. He purses his lips as he watches Aleks take a swig of juice to wash the food down.

“How’s that?” Aleks asks, his eyebrow quirking in query. 

“ _Well_ , I feed off sexual energy, so when I have sex with you, the energy I gain is absorbed from you. That’s why you sleep longer after you’re with me, and why you’re so hungry now. Your body is obviously replenishing its energy stores with extra rest and nourishment.”

“ _Huh_.” Aleks nods slowly. “Makes sense.”

James chuckles, turning around to collect the latest batch of pancakes as Lollipopstarts playing quietly.

“Damn.” James whistles, flipping the pancakes onto Aleks’ plate. “This music is really taking me back, man.”

“Oh, _yeah_ …” Aleks considers, looking up from where he’d just chucked Mishka a morsel of his pancake. “You must have, like, _been there_ when all this stuff was coming out, huh?” 

“Pretty much.” James nods, pouring out the rest of the batter to make one huge pancake. “Brett and I travelled a lot, but we were around America in the 50s and 60s.”

“You must have seen some crazy shit…” Aleks gapes, staring at James like he wants to pick apart all his knowledge.

“Tell me about it.” James snorts, making sure the pancake is cooking evenly. “You grow bored easily when you’ve experienced as much as we have. Brett and I travel a lot because it’s a nice change from just living in America all the time.”

Aleks watches on with rapt attention, so James decides to continue. 

“We took a trip in the 80s,” James muses, tracing the path back in his head. “Brett felt like exploring Europe some more, and I wanted to visit Russia again, even though the Soviet Union was in decline by that point. Money wasn’t an issue, of course, so we stayed in Russia for a few years then pretty much hopped back and forth all over Europe.”

James suddenly remembers to flip the pancake and he’s relieved when it’s perfectly golden on the underside.

“By ’86, we’d settled in Paris, which remains one of my favourite cities in the world.” James smiles, thinking back on the time. “The Grands Projets initiative was happening right around that time, so there was new architecture popping up that we hadn’t seen before and the music of the time was to _die_ for.”

The pancake is ready, so James slides it onto Aleks’ plate and starts to clean up.

“ _Hold on_ ,” Aleks says, looking down at the pancake in front of him. “You haven’t even eaten any of these. Aren’t you hungry?”

James shakes his head, laughing. “When I have sex regularly, I don’t need food to survive. I mostly eat because it tastes good. _Besides,_ you look like you need it more than I do.”

“At least have one piece!” Aleks whines, cutting off a big bit of the pancake and smothering it in honey before holding it up to James on his fork.

James rolls his eyes, but he leans over the counter to measure his handiwork. The pancake is surprisingly good; light and fluffy, with the sweetness of the honey to balance it all out. 

“Thanks,” James says, motioning Aleks to enjoy the rest of it while he starts collecting the rest of the dishes up.

He’s rinsing one of the plates when Aleks speaks up from behind him, again through a mouthful of pancake.

“You said you woh in Fwance?”

James laughs, placing the dish in the drying rack and starting on the second one.

“I was.” James nods, categorizing his memories of the time. “We’d taken to picking up property at some of our favourite places, on the off chance we ever wanted to visit again. We bought this beautiful little studio apartment in the 7th Arrondissement, right at the heart of Paris. _God_ , you’d step out onto the balcony in the morning and the Eiffel Tower was _right there_ , maybe a thousand feet at the very most. It was absolutely _breathtaking._ ”

Aleks is staring at James when he turns around, eyes wide, and the pancake seems almost totally forgotten.

“Can you tell me more?” Aleks coaxes, finally remembering his waiting food, “…please?” 

“Uh, _sure_.” James smiles, drying the cutlery just so he has something to occupy his hands as he speaks. It feels weird, having someone be genuinely fascinated by all the incredible things James has just grown used to in his existence. Brett had experienced all of them— _and more_ —right alongside James, so the extraordinary had long since become the norm in their lives. 

“ _Well_ …” James contemplates, rubbing away at the silver wear in his hands to help focus himself. “You’d walk outside and the street we lived on was perfectly situated. There was this little patisserie just around the corner that made the best coffee I’ve ever tasted in my _life_. We’d sit there and eat a plate of croissants between us, which were always freshly baked that morning. The breeze would rustle through the trees that lined the road, and you’d look up to see the Tower nestled perfectly between the foliage. I’ve experienced…a _great many_ things in my life, Aleks, but that still remains one of my most cherished memories.” 

“Why did you leave?” Aleks breathes, almost as if he’s afraid to pull James from his reverie.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong…” James assures him, finally realising that the plate in his hand has been long-since dried and putting it away. He hangs up the dish towel and walks around to take a seat beside Aleks. “I still adore it to this day. But we’d bought the apartment outright and I knew that we’d be able to return whenever we felt like it.” 

“We left because no matter how much I loved it there, something just didn’t  _feel_ right.” James chuckles, grabbing Aleks’ hand and turning it over so he can play with his fingers. “I knew deep down that Paris wasn’t where I was meant to be—at least not yet—so we came back to America. I don’t know whether it was my head or my heart talking to me, but something told me to stay here, that I was meant to find something important.” 

“ _And_ , as it turns out…” James smiles, sweeping lock of hair from Aleks’ eyes so he can see them properly, “I must have been waiting for _you_ , Aleksandr.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Aleks says, quiet, blinking furiously.

“Are you crying again?” James teases and Aleks glares at him. 

“ _Nope_. _Definitely not!”_ Aleks huffs. “I’ve got something stuck in my eye, that’s all.” 

“ _Ah_ , that’d do it.” James smirks, lifting Aleks’ hand up to kiss the back of it. 

Aleks looks around the room, seemingly desperate to find some way to pull the focus away from himself and he spots the hub still quietly playing music in the corner. 

“Do you wanna…uh, _dance_ with me, maybe?” Aleks stammers, cheeks bright red.

“You dance?” James asks incredulously and Aleks pouts.

“I—no, not really…” he says, embarrassed, “Do you?”

“Not in a long while,” James murmurs, “but I reckon that means we’re about even, yeah?”

Standing up, he offers Aleks his hand. Aleks takes it, visibly relieved, but he drops it as soon as he’s up, heading over to search Spotify.

“Ooo, feeling something specific, huh?” James laughs, but Aleks just nods and coughs awkwardly, typing in his request.

When Aleks presses play, he darts back to James’ side as an upbeat song fills the room. He still seems unsure, so James settles his hand against Aleks’ back and pulls him in. James giggles, twirling Aleks around as they bounce along to the rhythm and it’s like the anxiety melts away in an instant. 

Aleks seems to want to watch his feet, but James gives him an encouraging squeeze and his eyes flit up to meet James’ gaze. He smiles, finally, even laughs as James adds in an interpretive head movement.

Mishka’s going mental around their legs, yapping and skittering around excitedly. 

“You’re not so bad.” James smirks, rocking from side-to-side with Aleks tucked into his arms. “For a guy who can’t dance, that is.”

Aleks rolls his eyes, stepping on James’ toes for good measure.

The vocals start up then, dulcet and lively.

_Sugar pie, honey bunch,_

_You know that I love you._

He spins Aleks around, captivated as the wonderful human in his arms giggles like a child; absolutely unencumbered and free.

_I can't help myself,_

_I love you and nobody else._

And then it finally hits him.

“You love me…?” James gasps, suddenly realising why Aleks chose this song. 

Aleks flushes immediately, eyes downcast, but the truth is written as clear as day on his face.

“I’m _sorry_ …” Aleks stammers, “I  _know_ it’s going way too fast and we’ve only known each other for, like, _four_ days and that you’re a fucking _incubus_ , but—”

Aleks sighs, finally meeting James’ eyes. “…but I love you.”

_Sugar pie, honey bunch,_

_I'm weaker than a man should be._

James can’t say a single word, stunned to absolute silence. 

_I can't help myself,_

_I'm a fool in love, you see._

James raises his hands from Aleks’ hips to his face, stroking his cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. When he looks into Aleks’ eyes, he knows every word of it is true. 

“I’m gonna go ahead and make this even more awkward,” James murmurs, “and tell you that I fell in love with you the moment you told me you could see _me_.”

“Fuckin’ asshole.” Aleks laughs, his eyes brimming with tears, but he still leans up so he can kiss James.

It’s like being transported back to last night, with Aleks close to him in every way he could be. James beams, gripping him around the waist and twirling him around again. Aleks gasps against his lips, arms hooking around James’ neck to support himself and his peals of laughter join James’ to form the most perfect harmony.

“ _I love you_ ,” James whispers, now that he can freely admit it. He wants to hear it, to taste the words on his tongue, and it makes him feel light as air. He says it again—in Russian this time—then in French and Chinese and Spanish and every other language he knows.

“We get it, _nerd_.” Aleks cuts him off after the fifteenth one. “No need to remind me of your vastly superior intellect.”

James chuckles, smiling even wider when Aleks quietly adds, “ _I love you too_.”

James feels like he’s soaring, like he’ll never need to come down again as long as he’s got Aleks right here in his arms.

But then, _of course_ , Mishka reckons it’s the perfect time to pee all over the floor. 

“ _Mishka!”_ Aleks shrieks. James can’t stop wheezing, retreating across the room as Aleks flies into the laundry room and returns with a roll of paper towel. 

Aleks furiously tries to mop up the pee and Mishka just sits there and smiles like she’s either completely oblivious to the mess she just made or she’s fucking _proud as all hell_ of the puddle she just left on the floor.

“Don’t laugh!” Aleks grimaces, throwing the soaked towels in the bin.

_“I’m sorry!”_ James cackles as Mishka happily wags her tail at them. “I thought you toilet trained her, dude.”

“So did I.” Aleks groans, dousing his hands in the sink and scrubbing them with copious amounts of dishwashing liquid.

“ _Man_.” James wipes his eyes, circling around the kitchen counter. “Your dog really knows how to piss on a perfect moment, huh?”

Aleks looks like he’d take great pleasure in asphyxiating James if his hands weren’t currently submerged in soapy water and James can only smirk.

“You’re _soo_ lucky…” Aleks scowls, but James still drops a quick kiss on his shoulder.

“Don’t be mad, baby.” James fake pouts, enough to have Aleks’ lip twitching up despite himself. “We’ll take her to the dog park tomorrow and she can pee and poop wherever her little heart desires.”

“For the love of _God_.” Aleks snorts, drying his hands off. “Just…go find something on Netflix while I disinfect the bloody floor. I need to bleach that moment from my memory.” 

“I’ve got just the thing!” James smirks, falling onto the couch. “Sharknado should bleach that bad boy right out, along with most of your brain function.”

James can _feel_ Aleks rolls his eyes and he flips his phone out to wait as Celia hops onto the back of the couch, tail sweeping along James’ shoulder. He pets her absentmindedly as he swipes away, checking all his notifications.

There’s a text from Brett, dated yesterday, and James can’t help but chuckle.

**Have fun,** **playa ;P**

James would text him back, but he honestly doesn’t know how he’d put any of this into words. It all seems so surreal.

He still remembers how Aleks _insisted_ on paying for their expensive dinner even though he _knew_ James had the money to spare, wanting James’ first date experience to be genuine and fun. It makes James’ heart hurt in a way he doesn’t fully understand.

James is suddenly struck by the need to do _something_ for his boyfriend. And yes, the word _boyfriend_ will never not make him smile now. James peeks over the back of the couch to see Aleks scrubbing the floor with what he can only assume is disinfectant.

He’s probably only got a few minutes at most.

James quickly pulls up Amazon. There’s a handy tab for gifts, and James checks some of the filters and scrolls through the listings. On a whim, he sorts prices from highest to lowest, wanting to find something that will really emphasise how much Aleks means to him. 

He’s about halfway down the page when he spots it. The shape is undeniable, and it catches his eye immediately.

A jewelled egg; obviously styled after the Imperial eggs crafted by the House of Fabergé, but with a modern twist. The shell is a deep red, likely crafted from some form of ruby. Intricate patterns adorn the outer shell, swirling with what James can only assume is 24-karat gold, considering the steep price tag. There are diamonds inlaid into the surface, ranging from tiny along the borders to more defined where they frame the centremost point.

It’s _stunning_ , and the fact that it has some form of connection to Russia is the deciding factor.

James quickly verifies the seller and the link takes him back to the official website of a prestigious jewellery house based in Russia.

The price doesn’t matter to James. If it’s something that Aleks will find beautiful, that’s all James needs.

He’s about to buy the egg when he notices something else. There’s an option to have something engraved on the inner lining of the egg and James types in the first thing that speaks to him.

He receives an email notifying him of his purchase and no sooner has he switched out of his email app than Aleks pops his head over the back of the couch. 

“What’cha doin’?”

James honest-to-God _screams_ , shoving his phone under his leg in his panic while Celia yowls and shoots off into the other room.

“Jesus fucking _Christ_ , Aleks!” James gasps, his heart thumping against his ribcage. “You’re gonna give me a fucking heart attack, _you asshole!”_

“Don’t be mad, baby.” Aleks parrots his words from earlier, smirking as he pats James on the shoulder. “Just making sure that prehistoric heart of yours doesn’t give out on me.” 

“I’ll give you prehistoric…” James grumbles, glowering at him. Aleks giggles as he rounds the couch and nestles into the space James automatically leaves opens for him.

“Did I interrupt something?” Aleks asks, curious. He turns to look up at James and James smiles, improvising immediately.

“Nope. Just scared me, is all.” James rolls his eyes, and Aleks grins again. “Brett was just checking up on me.”

“He sounds… _interesting_.” Aleks muses. “I’d like to meet him sometime.”

“Oh, I’m _sure_ you will.” James laughs. “Brett has a nasty habit of getting everything he wants.”

Aleks laughs too, and he reaches for the remote that James had since flung across the lounge in his panic.

“So, you ready to have your brain melted?”

“Of course,” James says, watching as Sharknado flashes up on the TV, “but I’m gonna need to keep you close to protect us from the deadly cringe.”

“Agreed.” Aleks smirks, nestling into to James’ chest, his head tucked up under James’ chin. James kisses his hair, just once, but he can feel Aleks sigh against his skin and it makes him smile.

His phone sits under his leg, the receipt locked securely inside. It feels like a promise. A promise of what’s to come, of his devotion for Aleks. 

James sort of feels guilty that he needs to lie, but he wants this to be a surprise, wants Aleks to feel just as shocked and excited as he did on their date. The anticipation is already eating away at him, making his heart beat faster. 

For now, though, he settles for having Aleks here in his arms.

He’s happy to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 Soundtrack: [You Make Me Feel So Young by Frank Sinatra](https://open.spotify.com/track/6y5gkKUDeEJlfToIEZmBpY?si=ZM2mMmI2STqrW3-H5Mhesw), [You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You by Dean Martin](https://open.spotify.com/track/3e09orWFdPkTN7JAxCVc7g?si=UVZL2t4iR1SJ0waQCmILbw), [Lollipop by The Chordettes](https://open.spotify.com/track/38IkFZQU3ZF6agt6FkKA8C?si=rdT2wMBzQLWVJr5sBP5msA) and [I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) by Four Tops](https://open.spotify.com/track/6b6IMqP565TbtFFZg9iFf3?si=wR9lksTQTI2NOJ-aV9QzKQ).


	6. Fooled around and fell in love

The breeze is cool on his skin as James leans on a telephone pole outside Aleks’ apartment and watches the dance of leaves skittering across the pavement, grateful for his hoodie now that the mornings are getting chillier.

He’s distracted by a squirrel scampering up a nearby tree when he hears the click of a door and looks back to find Aleks toeing it open as Mishka tries to nose her way under his legs. Aleks curses softly as she almost trips him up in her bid for freedom and James can only laugh at the sight.

Aleks’ head whips up, obviously not expecting James to be here yet and he flushes with what James can only assume is a combination of embarrassment and surprise.

“ _Oh_ …” Aleks murmurs, carefully descending the steps. “Hi.”

“Hi,” James replies and he can’t keep the smile off his face.

Mishka immediately hops up, straining against her leash to greet him and James holds her paws as she dances around excitedly.

“Hey there, babygirl,” he coos, and her tail starts wagging twice as fast, whipping back-and-forth like it’s spring-loaded.

“You’re early,” Aleks says, watching fondly as Mishka plays with him.

“I missed you.” James shrugs and the way Aleks’ eyes grow warmer at the words makes him feel unspeakably happy.

“ _Yeah_ ,” Aleks says and it sounds like an acknowledgement and an agreement all wrapped up in one.

Aleks descends the final step, finally standing eye-level with him. James sees the kiss coming before it even happens.

When Aleks leans forward, his cheek slots into the palm of James’ hand like it was always made to fit right there. His skin is warm against James’ own and James can feel his lips stretch into a smile as Aleks’ hand settles on his chest. Mishka obviously feels left out, because he can feel her scratching at his pants, but it isn’t hard to stay focused on the taste of Aleks’ breath, somehow warm and also minty from just brushing his teeth. 

When he opens his eyes, Aleks’ are still closed and he’s just leaning into James’ body. He looks so peaceful like that, so goddamn _happy_ , with their breath fogging up in the cool morning air.

His eyes flutter open and the colour is incredible.

“Hey,” James says.

Aleks flushes deep, smiles back at him.

“ _Hey._ ”

Mishka whines and Aleks sighs.

“You’re just _needy_.” Aleks rolls his eyes, stooping down to ruffle her fur. She pants up at them as though she knows _exactly_ what she’s doing. 

“Speaking of needy.” James chuckles. “I’m gonna need a coffee before you expect any sort of higher functioning from me.”

“You read my mind.” Aleks grins, standing again as Mishka starts yanking him in the direction of the dog park. “C’mon, I know a place.”

James laughs as he settles into a walk beside Aleks and his hand unerringly finds its way into Aleks’ grasp.

Aleks’ hand is warm against his and it grounds James in this moment; from Mishka straining against her leash in her excitement, to the gentle breeze that ruffles Aleks’ hair and makes him automatically press closer to James’ side. 

“Demons still need their coffee hit, huh?” Aleks asks, quiet. It seems the perfect volume to fit their surroundings. 

James laughs, just as quiet, and gives Aleks’ hand a gentle squeeze. 

“If we’re being  _technical_ , then no,” he says, tucking a stray curl behind his ear. “If we absorb a sufficient amount of sexual energy, we don’t ever need to sleep, eat or drink a thing.” 

“ _Never?”_ Aleks asks, blinking.

“Never.” James nods.

Aleks stares ahead, thinking.

“That being _said_ , wants and needs are very different things,” James murmurs and Aleks’ eyes meet his again.

“Just because I don’t _need_ any of those things, doesn’t mean I don’t want them. I like eating because food is, generally, delicious. I like to sleep because, even when my mind and body don’t need it, it’s nice to give myself a break from thinking.” 

“And coffee?” Aleks asks, smirking.

“ _Well_ …” James grins. “Coffee is just plain old _great_. It was around long before I showed up and it’s certainly something I’ve developed a taste for.”

Aleks smiles, watching as Mishka tugs on her leash as she bounds along.

“ _Sure_ ,” James continues, “I _could_ stay awake for the next few days and function perfectly, but a little coffee certainly makes the experience more fun.” 

Aleks giggles quietly and leads them around the corner. The smell of roasting coffee immediately hits James, wafting from a tiny café nestled between a fashion boutique and an apartment building and he takes a deep breath to really draw it in.

By the door, there’s a dog bowl filled with clean water and a sign that says, ‘doggy espresso’, and Mishka immediately trots over and starts lapping it up as Aleks secures her leash to the post.

“That is… _insanely_ cute,” James laughs, pointing out the sign, and Aleks smiles. 

“Yeah.” He holds the door open for James. “The owner really loves dogs, so she set something up for them.”

The inside of the coffee shop is cosy but rustic, with just enough seating space for a busy morning. The warm lighting casts itself on Aleks’ skin, makes him almost glow. 

There’s a woman behind the counter, maybe in her late twenties, with her hair tied up and a simple apron tied around her waist as she chats with the only other customer currently here and pours their drink. 

“That’s the owner, Julia,” Aleks says, “she makes the _best_ coffee I’ve ever tasted.” 

“Gotcha.” James nods, taking a peek at the menu above her. There’s a good selection and everything smells delicious. “Well, she’s going up against some of the best coffee in France, so we’ll see how she shapes up.”

“Fussy.” Aleks smirks, giving him a playful poke.

“Just because I have _quality standards_ , Aleksandr.” James sniffs, watching as Julia smiles and hands the man his coffee.

She looks to Aleks first and immediately picks up a takeaway cup and scribbles his name on it. 

“Mornin’, Aleks.” She beams, tucking a loose hair back behind her ear. “The usual?” 

“You know it.” Aleks laughs.

“Got it,” she says, finishing off her note.

Aleks turns to James then. “What are you feeling like?”

“Uhh, do you do Café Miel?” 

When Julia looks up, she blushes a little, but she can obviously tell she’s in the presence of Aleks’ date so she fights through the reaction.

“Yeah,” she says, “with honey and cinnamon?” 

“That’s the one.” James smiles and she nods and sets about making their coffees.

They sit down while they wait, near the window so they can keep an eye on Mishka. James lets himself relax and enjoy watching the city wake up.

“Honey?” Aleks quirks an eyebrow and fixes his hair where the wind had messed it up.

“Very popular in France.” James shrugs, playing with a sugar packet. “I got the taste for it when I lived there, and I guess the habit just stuck. It’s a nice alternative to all the caramel and vanilla syrup they use here in America. I prefer sweet coffee over stuff so strong it’ll knock your socks off.” 

“Me too,” Aleks admits, grabbing his own sugar packet and starting a little sword fight with James. “The strong stuff is definitely a necessity for us lowly humans every now and then, though. Not everyone can make it through their day by fucking. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

James giggles out loud.

“Well, I’m glad to see that syrup is doing its job.” James smirks, petting at Aleks’ chub and Aleks gasps, cheeks aflame.

“What the fuck.” Aleks gasps, “I—you…you _can’t_ …”

“What?” James smiles innocently, leans in so his hand can trail its way down Aleks’ chest to caress him again. “Ain’t my fault that you make the belly so damn appetising. Means more real estate for kissing.”

“Dude, _James_ ,” Aleks squeaks, “if you don’t want me to pop a boner in the middle of this coffee shop, you’ll shut up _right now_.”

“ _Ohh._ ” James grins, eyes sparkling. “You into that, baby?”

“ _James…_ ” Aleks pleads and James laughs and gives him a quick peck on the cheek, sitting back to bask in that cherry red glow.

“Later then.” James decides and Aleks somehow looks both grateful and wanting, his eyes dark.

“Order up!” Julia calls, placing their coffees on the counter. James thanks her and whips out his card while Aleks is still too dazed to protest.

Julia’s still a little flushed, but she reaches into a jar on the counter and passes Aleks a dog treat for Mishka. James already loves the woman for how much she cares for visiting dogs.

They thank her again and she smiles and waves as James holds the door open for Aleks to walk outside and throw Mishka her biscuit. Mishka barks, anxious to be on the move once again. She’s off as soon as Aleks unties her leash, pulling them along to the dog park. 

James laughs, passing Aleks his drink as he tries his own. Aleks hadn’t been lying and it’s a damn good coffee. James hums as he lets the delicious liquid warm his body. The conversation is easy between the two of them, aided by sips of coffee and the sounds of a city just starting to awaken. 

It’s so relaxed, in fact, that it’s only when they turn the corner onto a familiar street that James realizes they’ve arrived at the dog park he came to the night he first met Aleks. 

He looks up at the sign and his eyes fall to Aleks.

“I’ve been here before,” James admits, “a few times…”

“ _Really?”_ Aleks gasps, looking both shocked and excited. “How have I not seen you?”

“Bad timing, I guess?” James shrugs and gives Aleks’ hand a gentle squeeze. “But I guess it doesn’t really matter now, huh?”

“I reckon it doesn’t.” Aleks smiles, pressing closer to James’ side.

Mishka is already whipped into a frenzy, her head darting in the direction of all the dogs running around. Aleks laughs as he leans down and holds her still, unclips her leash. 

“Go have fun, sweetheart.”

As soon as he lets go, Mishka zooms off, a streak of white and grey racing to meet some new friends.

Aleks watches her leave, chuckles quietly as he loops her leash around his arm and rises to stand by James’ side again.

“How are you _ever_ going to keep up with her.” James snorts, taking Aleks’ hand and leading him towards an empty bench beneath a large oak tree.

“I have _no_ idea,” Aleks sighs, smiling as he sits down beside James and tucks himself into his side, wraps his hands around his still-warm cup of coffee.

The sun is sitting higher in the sky now, that early morning chill gone from the air, yet it still feels natural for James to loop his free arm around Aleks and pull him in closer, feel Aleks rub his cheek on his shoulder for just a second as he settles.

There’s a bird chirping in the branches above them, the sound of barking as all the dogs play together, and it’s probably the most peaceful moment James has experienced in a _long_ time.

“Tell me something,” Aleks says quietly, taking a sip of his coffee.

“What would you like to know?” James smiles, peeking at him out of the corner of his eye.

“Anything,” Aleks admits, meeting his eyes. “You must have so much locked up in that noggin of yours.” 

James nods, watches Mishka race around with a German Shepherd and a Beagle, yapping and bounding around trees and bushes.

“I had a dog.” James sighs. “A very long time ago.”

Aleks is silent for a long while and James can feel his gaze burning with curiosity.

“She…she was a little Corgi,” James says, but his throat feels tight and he needs to take a sip of his coffee to continue. Aleks’ hand is there too, petting his arm, soothing that ache in his chest. “I got her as a puppy, picked her up from this elderly couple who had a new litter for sale.” 

“I knew she was special right from the start.” James chuckles. “She was jumping up against the cage, as best as she could with those stubby little legs of hers. Seemed determined to make an impression. And she had a tiny orange dot right under her chin, where the fur was supposed to be white. One-of-a-kind, she was, a crazy little spitfire, so I took her home on the spot.”

“Brett wasn’t immediately taken on the idea, of course—he’s always been the flora kind of guy— but she won him over fairly quickly.” James continues. “She was pretty hard not to love.”

“What was her name?” Aleks asks, quiet still, as if he understands James needs that right now. 

“Ein.”

“She sounds wonderful, James.” Aleks murmurs and James nods sadly.

“She spent her entire life with us…” James mumbles, “but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t nearly enough.”

“Fifteen years is a short time, even by human standards, but it’s _nothing at all_ when you’re immortal.” James’ voice cracks and he focuses on the dogs playing to try and ignore the tear that tracks its way down his cheek. “It felt like she was there and gone in the blink of an eye, but it didn’t stop it from hurting every single day after she left.” 

James jolts when he feels Aleks’ thumb sweep below his eye and Aleks’ mouth is thin as he gently dries the few tears clinging to James’ cheeks.

“I am _so_ sorry, James.” Aleks sighs, his palm warm against James’ skin, and James can only fold his own over it and close his eyes until his breathing slows.

“ _I’m_ sorry,” James grimaces, “You ask for something interesting and I get all weepy!”

“No.” Aleks shakes his head. “I’m glad you told me. She will always be a part of you, James, and I want to know about anything that makes you _you_.”

“I see her in Mishka, you know.” James laughs quietly, watching as the pup races over to them, her German Shepherd and Beagle friends in tow. “Just as crazy as Ein was as a pup.” 

As if to prove his point, Mishka darts around the bench, zipping out the other side so fast she nearly bowls over the Shepherd with a yelp. Aleks laughs and her ears prick up, trotting over to sniff around his feet.

“She loves you,” James says, watching as Mishka noses at Aleks’ palm and turns to encourage the other dogs to come closer as well. “She absolutely _adores_ you.” 

Aleks smiles across at him, eyes shining in the mid-morning sunlight, and James’ heart feels aflutter as he pets through the thick fur of the German Shepherd panting up at him. The Beagle tries to hop up into the space between James and Aleks, but Mishka growls and jumps up there, settling down in the spot that she obviously believes is _rightfully hers_. 

“You’re a _bully_ , you know that?” Aleks frowns at her, reaching down to give the Beagle the pets he’s been looking for while Mishka sends him a heavy dose of side-eye.

James tries to soothe her with some more cuddles, but he hears a rustling in the tree above them and suddenly all three dogs have disappeared, barking and chasing after whichever squirrel or bird has caught their attention. 

“I want to say I wish I had that much energy, but honestly that’s what I feel like after having sex.” James chuckles.

“ _Really?”_ Aleks exclaims.

“Yeah.” James chortles, pulling him close. “Imagine all your senses dialled to eleven and you feel like you could climb a mountain or run a marathon. Like I said earlier, with enough sexual energy, I don’t need to sleep or eat or anything. It leaves a _lot_ of free time.”

“If I knew that, I’d spend all day in bed with you.” Aleks kisses James, stares up at him with a look in his eyes that’s hardly innocent and James can only laugh at him.

“ _Really_ , Aleksandr, in front of the _children!”_

Aleks laughs breathlessly and shuffles onto his back until he can lay between James’ legs, head tucked up on James’ shoulder. He blinks up at James through those dark eyelashes of his and still looks so damn cute upside down. That _should_ be a crime, honestly, but it somehow feels so damn fitting.

When James leans down to kiss him, Aleks’ hand is there, fingertips tracing his jaw. Aleks’ nose bumps with his chin, makes him laugh against James’ lips. It’s fucking _sappy_ , but James’ couldn’t give a shit if they’re being _that_ couple in public. He never got his chance to do any of this and he wants to savour every second of it now that it’s here in his grasp.

“If you wanted me to calm down,” Aleks pants when they finally pull apart, cheeks flushed, “you really shouldn’t’ve done that.” 

“Sue me.” James pokes his tongue out. “It’s _your_ fault that you’re too damn cute.”

Aleks giggles, closing his eyes and laying back to enjoy the shade. James is content with this, with just holding Aleks in his arms, letting him rest as he gently strokes Aleks’ hair. The strands are long and messy, some falling in Aleks’ eyes. James would say he’s due for a cut, but experience has taught him that having a little more hair to grab onto makes things more fun for everyone involved.

James watches the sky, the park, the dogs. He watches _Aleks_ as he lets the time move around them. The sun shifts, shadows changing from morning to midday. If Aleks’ fingertips hadn’t stopped tracing little patterns on his knee, James would’ve been sure he’d fallen asleep at some point.

Despite the blatant evidence of Mishka’s boundless energy, James is honestly amazed at how long she lasts before he sees her trot back to their bench and sprawl out in the grass, panting heavily. Even so, her tail still somehow finds a way to swish through the air as she looks up at him.

James snorts and Aleks blinks his eyes open, following James’ gaze to watch the pup roll around in the grass.

“Absolutely mental, you are.” Aleks sighs, stretching out against James.

“Ein was like that.” James smirks. “Little bugger could hardly run on those stubby little legs of hers, but damn did she give it her best shot.” 

Aleks giggles and finally sits up, pulling his phone from his pocket to check the time.

“ _Damn_ ,” he says, “you should’ve poked me or something, dude.”

“We’ve got all the time in the world.” James smiles. “Besides, babygirl obviously needed her exercise.”

“ _I’ll_ say.” Aleks rolls his eyes, standing so he can properly stretch. “What’s the plan?”

“I was thinking…” James trails off. “You said you wanted to meet Brett sometime?”

Aleks’ eyes sparkle immediately and he’s a little too quick to reply, “yeah!”

“By all means,” James gripes, standing to brush down his clothes, “don’t be so excited to meet my fucking _roommate_.” 

“Sorry, man.” Aleks laughs. “The dude sounds interesting, is all.”

James nods, watching as Aleks crouches down to clip Mishka’s leash onto her collar.

“It seems to me like we’re about halfway between your place and mine,” James says, “so we can either walk or Uber it. Whatever you feel like. 

“I need the walk,” Aleks replies, “so I guess it’s up to the dog.”

They both look to Mishka, who’s already on her feet and shaking off the dirt. The five-minute break seems to have been adequate, as if that surprises either of them, and she immediately starts trotting towards the entrance. 

“The tribe has spoken,” Aleks snorts, falling into step behind her and James laughs as he links his arm with Aleks’, fingers intertwined.

The walk is great, gives James another chance to just relish in the softness of being by Aleks’ side.

When they’re a few blocks out, Aleks suddenly sniffs the air and changes their course to find the source of whatever scent he’s picked up on. Sure enough, they stumble upon a pop-up shop selling hot cinnamon donuts. Aleks looks like he’s about to start salivating from the mouth and James almost wheezes.

He walks up to the stall and the lady behind it gasps when she sees him, eyes wide.

“Ha—how can I help…me?” she stammers.

“Four donuts.” James smiles at her. “Please.”

The girl finally tears her eyes away from him and shakily places four of the donuts into a paper bag.

James pulls out his wallet and looks up at her as she drops the bag on the counter.

“What do I owe you?” he asks, and she blinks.

“I, uh… _nothing!”_ she blurts out. “It’s on the house.”

“ _Really?”_ Aleks asks incredulously and the girl nods weakly.

“Okay.” James shrugs, passing the bag to Aleks, who looks just as surprised as the girl seems. 

“But just so you know,” James says, smirking at the girl, “that isn't a very sound business practice.” 

Somehow, she gets even redder and James can still feel her staring as they continue walking.

“ _Holy shit_ , James.” Aleks gapes at him, already chewing on a mouthful of donut. “Do people just, like, _give you shit_ for free?”

“Sometimes,” James laughs, grabbing a donut when Aleks holds the bag up. It smells like Heaven on Earth and the cinnamon sugar combo is _exactly_ what he’s craving right now. 

“You don’t really play fair.” Aleks sighs, pulling off a bit of donut to throw to Mishka. “Dazzling people all the time like that.” 

“Hey, man.” James shrugs. “I’m just working with what the universe gave me.”

Aleks laughs again, takes another bite of his donut, and the rest of the walk disappears like their sugary treats.

James gets the door and Mishka is sniffing around as soon as she gets inside his building, trying to catalogue the unfamiliar environment. When they step inside the elevator, James notices that Aleks still has sugar coating his lips and he quickly leans in to kiss it off of him, which may or may not lead to an impromptu make-out session until the elevator dings to announce their arrival.

Aleks gasps, laughs a little breathlessly as he stumbles into the corridor and James can only smirk at him as he licks his lips.

“Like I said.” Aleks clears his throat. “You don’t play fair.” 

“Fair is dull,” James scoffs. He pauses outside the door, though, turning back to Aleks. 

“Look…” James says, “Brett is more than five hundred years old _and_ he’s a fucking weirdo, so just be prepared for anything, yeah?” 

“Gotcha.” Aleks smirks. 

“ _Also_ , you’re human, so I’m not exactly sure what you’re gonna see when you look at him.” 

“I’m sure I’ll manage.” Aleks giggles and James rolls his eyes as he twists the doorknob.

Mishka immediately pushes forward into the room, towards the sound of the TV in the living area, and James drops his keys on the table to announce his presence.

He can see Brett’s horns from over the back of the couch and Brett’s face pops up as soon as they enter the room. It makes Mishka bark and wag her tail; just as eager as usual to meet someone new, it seems. 

“You know, James, it’s very rude to tarnish my good reputation before our guest even has a chance to meet me.” 

“ _Ah_ ,” James deadpans, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it on the hook by the door. “I should’ve known you fucked someone last night.”

“Your mistake.” Brett grins, rolling off the couch as he eyes Aleks up and down. “ _So_ , you’re the one that James has lost his pants over, huh?”

Aleks seems to be scrutinising Brett as well. He smirks, unshaken as ever. “I guess so.” 

“I like you already.” Brett laughs, but his eyes suddenly sweep down to Mishka, straining against her leash to get to him.

“Well, look at you, gorgeous,” Brett croons, crouching down to take her face in his hands. She keeps squirming and yelping until Aleks unclips her leash, launching herself into Brett’s arms. Brett’s booming laughter fills the apartment as he rolls back and gives her a good scratch. 

James smiles to himself as he collects a few mugs from the cupboard. Despite the abundant plants that adorn their living space, Brett isn’t immune to the charms of small animals. 

“She goes mental for you demons,” Aleks muses, placing her leash on the table and pulling off his own jacket, “maybe y’all smell weird or something.”

“Nah.” Brett grins out from behind Mishka’s fluff. “Bitches _always_ love me.”

“Oh, very classy, Brett,” James snorts, reaching into the fridge to pull out a bottle of orange juice.

As he pours the glasses, Brett resurfaces, Mishka hopping around his legs as he plops himself down on a barstool next to Aleks, who has since stopped gloating at his pup and joined James at the island.

James takes a sip of his OJ and can’t help but notice Brett properly eyeing Aleks, now that he’s not being distracted by Mishka.

“Jesus, Brett, he’s not a piece of meat. Stop acting like you’re gonna pounce on him.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Brett chortles.

“You heard us outside?” Aleks asks, sounding more curious than affronted, and Brett nods.

“And for the record, _sweetheart_ , I am a _perfectly adjusted_ member of the twenty-first century.”

“Oh, I can _tell_ ,” Aleks giggles, his eyes doing a little roaming of their own.

“Out of sheer curiosity,” Brett murmurs, quirking an eyebrow, “what are you actually seeing right now?”

“You’re a guy, obviously…” Aleks smiles, looking him up and down. “Tanned skin, beard, looks like you could bust a door down...oh yeah, and we can’t forget the horns.”

“Holy _shit_ ,” Brett breathes, just as James spills the juice he’d been replacing, sloshing it all over the counter. Mishka yaps, racing under the bench to lick the sweet puddles as they form.

“No fucking _way!”_ James gasps. “You can see him _too?”_

“Uh…I guess?” Aleks shrugs, as unphased as always. He peers under his seat to smile at Mishka as she darts around. 

“You kinky motherfucker!” Brett cackles. “You got a thing for horns or something, kid?” 

Aleks rolls his eyes, but there’s a pink glow to his cheeks that neither of them misses.

Brett is losing his fucking mind and James can only stare in disbelief as he mops up the spilt juice with a washcloth. _Jesus_ , when is Aleks going to stop surprising him?

“Stop flirting with my boyfriend, motherfucker!”

“Oh, my sweet naïve friend.” Brett winks. “If I was _really_ flirting, he’d have already dumped your ass.”

“He would _never,_ ” James spits, but he looks at Aleks after a few seconds, “…would you, Aleks?”

“Of course not, baby.” Aleks assures him. “ _…but why would I turn down a two-for-one?”_

James chokes on air and Brett howls with laughter as Mishka yelps and darts behind the couch, her head popping over the back a few seconds later. 

“ _God_.” Brett wheezes, wiping tears from his eyes. “You’re so much better than the rest of them.” 

“Don’t even _think_ about it you two,” James warns, pointing between the two of them. “Hands off the love of my life!”

Brett sighs, as if it’s a terrible prospect to _not_ have sex with Aleks. Aleks—the _traitor_ —plays along, making a great show of standing up and moving one barstool away from him.

“I hate you both,” James gripes and all he receives are twin smirks from the _assholes_ seated across from him. He should’ve known the two of them would get along like a house on fire.

“You’re just mad because you want to keep me all to yourself,” Brett laments and Aleks looks between them. 

“ _You two?”_

“Just once.” James rolls his eyes. “We were just bored, honestly. It didn’t mean anything.”

“ _Honestly,_ James.” Brett drapes a hand across his eyes. “How can you wound me so?”

“How was he?” Aleks asks, turning to Brett.

“ _Aleksandr!”_ James yelps, absolutely horrified, and Brett laughs.

“Technique-wise? Best I’ve ever had,” Brett admits, “but by that stage he already had a century of experience under his collar.” 

Never has James wished so hard for a swift death to take him from this world. 

“The real kicker is the energy, though.” Brett continues, as casually as if he were having a conversation about the weather. “We get that high from absorbing the sexual energy from our partner but seeing as an incubus can’t absorb energy from another incubus, it just doesn’t hit that craving you’ve got.”

“That’s it,” James growls, “you two are in time out!”

“Party pooper.” Brett sighs and Aleks laughs.

“Oh, calm down, babe.” Aleks smirks, moving around the counter to kiss him, and despite the situation, James can’t help but melt against his lips. Aleks pulls away and pecks him on the cheek until James finally smiles. “There’s only one incubus for me.”

“Gross _and_ hot.” Brett hums and takes a sip of his juice. “James always gets the good stuff.”

“Oh, shut _up_.” James snorts, hands settled on Aleks’ waist. “You were _worshipped_ , you ungrateful asshole.” 

“Oh, _yeah_.” Aleks perks up. “The God problem. How did that go down?”

“You told him about my woes?” Brett frowns at James and he can only smirk. It feels better being on this end of the teasing.

“Come on, dude.” Aleks pouts, finding his way back to the barstool. “You’re _like_ , five hundred years old. Dish out some stories!”

“Best time of my life,” Brett reminisces. “They gave me my own temple. So much fucking _gold_ , as well. Gold on pretty much everything you could imagine. I didn’t even need to go anywhere. Subjects would literally come to me in hopes of currying my favour.”

“I see where you got the Road to El Dorado from.” Aleks chortles and Brett scowls.

“DreamWorks stole my life story.” Brett sighs. “Though I must admit, they dulled down a lot of the details for kids.”

“ _Really?”_ Aleks puzzles. “Dude, the adult jokes in that movie are anything but subtle.” 

“You got that right.” James snorts, “I have _no_ idea how it got past censors. Chel was totally giving Tulio a BJ in that temple. Her head wasn’t anywhere near his!”

“Agreed.” Brett smirks. “But trust me, there was a lot more sacrifice and cannibalism involved.”

“They _killed_ people?” Aleks gasps, “and _ate_ them?”

“For me, specifically.” Brett nods. “To gain my favour. 

“Dude, that’s so fucked up!”

“I didn’t know that! I’d only just been _born!”_ Brett rolls his eyes. “All I knew was that I was being worshipped and I had more sexual energy than I knew what to do with. If they wanted to lop off a few heads, who was I to crush their little dreams?” 

Aleks seems speechless and James pats the back of his hand. 

“Congratulations, Brett,” he deadpans, “you finally broke him.”

Aleks huffs out a laugh and takes James’ hand.

“Nah.” Aleks raises his eyebrows. “It’s just a lot to take in, is all. Like history class all over again, but, _you know_ , less boring.”

“Anything but boring,” Brett agrees and he’s laughing along with Aleks.

“It’s just so weird,” Aleks admits, “thinking about how you singlehandedly influenced the course of history.”

“The _Aztecs?”_ Brett snorts, incredulous. “ _Nah._ Their empire was decimated only a decade or so after I found them. My boy James here is the true world changer.”

James freezes and he can feel Aleks’ eyes on him, but he just glares at the other incubus. “Don’t you _dare_.”

“My lips are sealed.” Brett grins. “But he’ll never let it rest until you tell him.”

Aleks seems confused, but ultimately as curious as ever and James groans.

“You’re such a piece of shit, you know that?” he gripes and Brett winks.

“What is it?” Aleks asks. “Dude, it can’t be _that_ bad.”

“ _Look_ …” James wonders how he can possibly word this. “I may have spent a night with Elvis Presley in 1955.”

“You _fucked_ Elvis _fucking_ Presley?!” Aleks shrieks, almost tipping over his stool, but Brett’s arm shoots out to steady it before he goes crashing to the floor. Mishka yelps, immediately bolting around the couch to check on Aleks, circling around his feet to sniff out danger.

“Don’t hurt yourself, kid.” Brett chuckles, patting Aleks on the shoulder and James grimaces at the prospect of the explanation to come. 

“I didn’t even know him,” James pleads, as if it makes it any better. “This was before _anyone_ knew his name, mind you. Brett and I happened to be visiting Memphis and I walked into this little diner and he was just sitting there, in one of the booths, all jet-black hair and tanned skin; looked like he was born to wear a leather jacket.”

Aleks is blushing now and James can’t tell whether it’s from the shock or his imagination at James’ description of the young singer. 

Brett obviously can, though, because he gives Aleks a playful shove and laughs when he protests. 

“Get your head outta the gutter, dude.” Brett laughs, running his hand through Mishka’s fluff when she barks and hops up on her back legs to demand pets.

“Excuse _you_.” Aleks huffs, scowling at him. “If you’re telling me you had Elvis Presley in front of you and you wouldn’t jump him, you’re fucking lying.” 

“Touché.” Brett smirks, watching as Mishka runs back to the couch and balances on the armrest to watch them.

“But…he wasn’t gay?” Aleks clarifies and James shakes his head.

“No,” he explains. “I was a girl when I was with him.”

“Shame.” Aleks sighs. “Elvis is every little gay boy’s dream.”

“Speaking from experience, are we?” Brett teases and Aleks punches him back.

“Firstly, _ow_.” Aleks hisses, rubbing at his knuckles. “Damn, man, you’re built like a fucking brick wall. And secondly, who  _wouldn’t_ want to get all up over young Elvis.”

“He was… _incredible_ ,” James admits, staring at Mishka as she sprawls out on the edge of the couch and watches the three of them. “Kind, caring, funny, and he had the voice of an angel. I should have known he was destined for success; you could just feel it when you were in his presence.”

“ _Gaayyyy…_ ” Brett cups his mouth and Aleks giggles when James shoots Brett the bird. Mishka’s tongue rolls out, panting over at them, as oblivious as ever. 

“ _Anyway_ , we had our fun and it came time for me to do what I needed to do, but I just couldn’t force myself to take his memories.” James frowns, shame burning under his skin. “I _really_ liked the guy. I would’ve told you it was the closest I’d ever come to falling for someone. Until _you_ came along, of course, and I finally realised what actual love felt like.” 

“ _Gaayyyeeerrr!!”_ Brett whoops and James swipes across the counter to smack him.

Aleks doesn’t seem to know how to react to James’ confession, but his eyes meet James’ and something akin to adoration is reflected within them.

Then he frowns.

“ _Whoa whoa, hold up_ ,” he blurts out, “you guys can _wipe memories?”_

“Yup,” Brett says, popping the ‘p’. 

“How?” Aleks flounders. “And why?”

“Trick of the trade, I guess.” Brett shrugs. “Comes in pretty useful.”

“ _Well…_ ” James pipes up, “think of it like this. You spend a night with the most gorgeous person you’ve ever seen in your life and when you wake up the next morning, they’re gone. How would you deal with that? How could you move on with anybody else when all you can think of is that amazing person you only got to spend one night with?” 

Aleks nods slowly, so James continues.

“Consider how many people we’ve needed to sleep with to survive throughout our lives. Can you imagine the emotional damage we would have left behind if we didn’t erase their memories of us—or what they thought they saw of us—from their minds before we left?”

“That doesn’t sound good?” Aleks blinks.

“James and I quickly figured out that it was cruel of us to give our partners a taste of something they’d never experience again, so we both agreed to wipe the memories of every human we slept with.” Brett sighs. “They’d have a fun night, we’d have a fun night as well. We’d take what we need and then they’d move on with their lives like they’d had an enjoyable one-night stand with someone they couldn’t remember all that well.” 

“Ok…that makes sense,” Aleks stares at James and he nods. “But—you didn’t do that for Elvis?”

James shakes his head morosely.

“Even though I couldn’t wipe his memories, I knew I couldn’t stay. It was weak— _and_ selfish—of me, but I walked away and tried to put my little infatuation behind me.” James replies, crossing his arms. “I don’t know _what_ I was thinking, but I figured, _hey_ , one person to remember me can’t be that bad, _right?”_

“I’m gonna go ahead and assume it was very, very bad?” Aleks guesses, and James grimaces at the same time that Brett says, “ _bingo!”_

“One year of peace, I had,” James says, “then Brett and I were sitting at home in 1956 and Heartbreak Hotel comes on the radio, sung by none other than—”

“Elvis _fucking_ Presley,” Aleks breathes.

“ _Well, since my baby left me, I found a new place to dwell_.” James recites. “ _It's down at the end of lonely street, at Heartbreak Hotel._ ”

Aleks finally seems to grasp what they’re telling him, and he gasps. “ _Noo…_ ”

“Oh, yes, my friend.” Brett smirks. “And that ain’t the half of it.”

“ _Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfilled. For my darling I love you, and I always will._ ” Brett sing songs. “ _Are you lonesome tonight? Do you miss me tonight? Are you sorry we drifted apart?_ _Does your memory stray, to a bright sunny day, when I kissed you and called you sweetheart?”_  

“Love songs,” Aleks murmurs and he sounds dazed. “These are all about… _you?_ ”

“ _Listen_ to them,” James groans, “Who _else_ could they be about?” 

“Ain’t just love songs, either,” Brett adds, “We’ve got, like, all five stages of grief there too. Devil in Disguise, The Meanest Girl In Town, Please Don't Stop Loving Me, A Little Less Conversation, Return to Sender, Suspicious Minds, Burning Love. Take your pick, dude, they all fit.” 

“ _Jesus_ …” Aleks wonders. “So, you’re telling me that James singlehandedly created the most significant musical icon of the 20th century?”

“Now you’re getting it.” Brett smirks and James glares at him.

“Stop trying to make it sound cool,” James grumbles, “it’s not cool!”

“Are you _shitting_ me, James?” Aleks gapes at him like he’s seeing him for the first time. “That is _insanely cool_. You _made_ The King.”

“ _See?”_ Brett says, pointing at James. “Aleks _gets_ it. You’re a history maker, my man. There’s no need to be so mopey all the time.” 

“You don’t get it!” James sighs. “I killed the guy!”

“Not this again.” Brett groans and Aleks frowns.

“You killed Elvis?”

“He’s being melodramatic, trust me,” Brett assures Aleks, his eyes rolling for the Heavens. “James reckons that Elvis turned to drugs because he was so depressed about losing his special lady.” 

“I _guess_ …” Aleks frowns. “But _really_ , what famous person _didn’t_ turn to drugs at some point? Especially around the time Elvis died.”

“My point _exactly!”_ Brett pats Aleks on the back. “See, James? Listen to your boyfriend, he knows what’s up.”

Mishka yaps, as if to emphasise Brett’s point and Brett gives her a silent thumbs up. 

“Everything I love turns against me.” James mourns and Aleks giggles.

“Oh, _hush_.” Brett smirks. “Just because not everyone is as dramatic as you.”

“I can’t believe you _fucked_ Elvis Presley,” Aleks laughs, shaking his head in disbelief.

“It’s not _funny_ ,” James pouts, but Aleks’ laugh is infectious, and James finds himself chuckling despite his best efforts.

He stands there in his kitchen, with his best friend, the love of his life, and a puppy. It still feels surreal, if he’s being honest with himself, like his two worlds are suddenly colliding.

It’s comfortable, though, warm and real.

He’s _happy_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was the donut scene a Steven Universe reference? _Yes, yes it was_ _(:3」∠)_
> 
> Chapter 6 Soundtrack: [Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley](https://open.spotify.com/track/2IfE8FhnPPEBSS4rL1qhBb?si=Y06RecXCTka7gU8UNaRZ3Q) and [Fooled Around And Fell In Love by Elvin Bishop](https://open.spotify.com/track/6BJTagJUFeUxHpVWxTmatw?si=Hs5cTk9LTQak7BbdsoUR2g).


	7. If I had only felt how it feels to be yours

Time is a strange thing when you’re immortal. Sometimes, years seem to fly by in a blur. Other times, each day feels like its own separate universe.

The last few weeks with Aleks have been some of the most incredible of James’ life. Days spent at Aleks’ place or his, hanging out with Brett, taking Mishka to the dog park, nights spent exploring every inch of Aleks’ body he can. 

It’s domestic and loving, and James can’t remember a time when he was ever happier.

Granted, that _could_ be the overwhelming amount of sexual energy coursing through his veins, making him feel high in the best possible way; high on life, on joy, on _Aleks_.

James is busy daydreaming when Aleks gives him a poke. He yelps, rolling his eyes at Aleks’ mischievous giggle.

“ _Pay attention to meeeee…_ ” Aleks whines, nuzzling his face into James’ collarbone as James sighs and pulls him closer to his chest.

Aleks is warm, soft around the middle; the ideal cuddle buddy. It’s like managing to wrap his arms around the sun, and James’ heart feels like it’s overflowing with rainbows and butterflies and all that shit.

“You’re just as needy as Brett.” James smiles. 

He can’t help it, honestly. He hasn’t found any reason  _not_ to smile since he met Aleks. Like he said,  _sappy_ as motherfucking  _shit_.

“You can’t resist my charms, though.” Aleks huffs out a laugh, twisting onto his back so he can flutter those _goddamn eyelashes_ up at James.

“Lucky you.” James smirks. “Otherwise I’d have wiped your memories long ago and run off into the sunset.”

“You wouldn’t,” Aleks says, his eyes dark and as warm as his body. “Promise me you wouldn’t…”

James leans down to kiss him, quick little pecks all over his cheeks and nose and forehead, until Aleks’ frown disappears and he laughs softly. 

“I promise,” James says.

Aleks’ smile is relieved, eyes shining with what James can only assume is adoration. It’s probably the only emotion Aleks has seen in James’ eyes for the last few weeks, or at least he hopes so.

“Any plans for today?” James smirks. “We could do _anything_ you want.”

“ _Nuu…_ ” Aleks pouts, squeezing James around the middle. “Too tired.”

“Too tired?” James scoffs. He buries his nose in Aleks’ hair, which is completely brunet now. “You slept a full 10 hours last night.”

“Don’t care,” Aleks grumbles, fingers intertwining with James’. “Stay home.”

“Whatever my sleeping beauty desires.” James chuckles against Aleks’ hair.

“You may call me Princess.”

“I’m gonna remember that…” James grins. “ _Princess._ ”

“Mistakes were made,” Aleks laments, turning his head to search the room.

“Speaking of Princess, where’s Mishka?” He frowns and James scans the apartment with his ears. 

“In the bedroom…” James murmurs, smiling to himself. He’s that hopped up on sexual energy that he can hear every noise in this apartment and both the ones on either side of them. “Sounds like she’s ripping up those slippers of yours.”

“ _Bitch_.” Aleks growls, but he obviously doesn’t feel the need to ruin her fun at this point.

“Don’t worry, baby.” James laughs. “I’ll buy you some new ones. A fluffy bunny set for my Princess.”

Aleks huffs, turning into James’ shoulder and James can only laugh, leaning down to kiss his forehead. 

“So, if you’re too lazy to go out, what’s on the menu?”

“Heavy Rain.” Aleks smirks, looking up at James.

“Dude…” James sighs. “That game is, like, the _epitome_ of depression.”

Aleks chuckles, stretching across the couch to pick up his PS4 controller without having to get up. He settles back into James’ embrace as the console starts up.

“True,” Aleks admits, “but it’s remastered now, so we can absorb the depression in ways never before seen.”

“You’re a dork,” James mourns, “and I shouldn’t be in love with you.”

“But you are.” Aleks grins, patting James’ knee with his free hand.

“But I am.” James agrees and something about that knowledge makes his heart sing. 

The next few hours pass in a blur of grey and, as promised, James is thoroughly depressed by the end. So depressed, in fact, that he doesn’t even notice that Aleks has fallen asleep on top of him, the controller slack in his grip.

James tries to stay still, doesn’t want to disturb him, but he really needs to pee and it won’t end well for either of them if he doesn’t go now.

As he gentles his boyfriend off him and onto the couch, Aleks snuffles awake, blinking groggily up at James. He looks so dazed and it’s unbelievably cute in that dorky way of his. 

“Sorry, love,” James whispers, petting a hand through Aleks’ shaggy hair, “gotta pee.”

Aleks smiles sleepily and his palm is warm when he lays it on James’ knee. James can’t help but smile when he watches Aleks. He didn’t know his heart was _capable_ of feeling this much love, but it continues to defy his expectations on a daily basis.

He quickly kisses Aleks’ hand and waddles off towards the bathroom as fast as he can. Mishka’s in the bedroom, as he’d surmised earlier, and she still has the tattered remains of Aleks’ slippers spread in a little circle of destruction around her. Her ears perk up as soon as James walks in the room, like she’s proud as all hell at her handiwork and he snorts as he shuffles past her to use the toilet.

“You’re a right little menace, you know that?” James smirks over his shoulder as he relieves himself and he could swear he sees the pup smile at him.

As he’s washing his hands, James notices that his bun had obviously come out from when it was being squished against the armrest and he takes a second to put his hair up again. When he’s looking half-decent, he gives Mishka a scratch behind the ears and chuckles when she hops off the bed and trots with him into the living area. 

“The malicious beast’s reign of terror is at an end.” James laughs, walking into the room. He blinks when Aleks gasps and bolts upright.

“Wha…?” Aleks slurs, rubbing his eyes.

“Jesus, dude.” James tilts his head at him quizzically. “You were already asleep again? You must be _really_ fucking wiped.”

“Mhm.” Aleks yawns, resting his chin on the back of the lounge to watch James and Mishka.

“You sure you don’t want to lay down for a few hours?” James asks. “You look like you need it…”

“Nah.” Aleks runs a hand through his hair, standing up unsteadily and shuffling over to the kitchen to collapse on the nearest barstool. “I just need to get my brain going properly.”

“Would you like some water?” James asks, ducking down to plant a kiss on Aleks’ cheek.

“ _Please_.” Aleks smiles tiredly, eyes warm and soft, as James collects some ice cubes from the freezer and pours him a glass.

Aleks chugs it down immediately like he’s gagging for it and James rolls his eyes as he refills the glass.

“Whoa there, cowboy. You’re gonna make yourself sick!”

“Stay hydrated, kids…” Aleks gasps, finally resurfacing from polishing off half of his newly refilled cup.

“I can see that.” James smirks, leaving the remainder of the jug within Aleks’ reach. “Well then, is it safe to assume that you’re starving as well? I could cook something if you’d like?”

Aleks moans. And when James says moans, he _really_ means it. The man damn-near sounds like he just came, and James is as startled by it as he is amused.

“ _God_ , I would suck your dick _right here_ in this kitchen if you make me food,” Aleks purrs and it’s the look in his eyes that really fucks James up, the look that he’s _completely fucking serious_ about taking him right where he’s standing.

“As much as I’d love to see you on your knees for me.” James grins, leaning across the counter. “I’ll need to focus on cooking, or you won’t be in for a good time.”

“Granted.” Aleks sighs, leaning over to kiss James. “Raincheck?”

“Absolutely” James smirks, nipping the corner of Aleks’ lip just to hear him whine.

“Well, if I’m not gonna suck your dick now, you’re gonna need to do some serious talking to keep me awake.” Aleks chuckles, taking another sip of water.

“By all means, dearest, ask whatever you want.” James hums, leaning down to grab a frying pan from the cupboard. He’s well acquainted with Aleks’ kitchen by now, a side-effect of Aleks’ utter enthusiasm for any meal James sets in front of him. “I’m an open book.”

“This is hard now.” Aleks frowns, tapping his fingers on the countertop. “So many to ask.”

“Go with whatever pops into your head first.” James chuckles over his shoulder, rifling through the drawers to find a large spoon and a few cutting knives. He can hear Aleks deliberating, so he collects a packet of beef mince, a few onions and a selection of veggies from the fridge before spreading them out on the table.

“We don’t want you falling asleep again.” James smirks, placing a cutting board and knives in front of Aleks. “So, get going with some salad while I brown the meat.”

“ _Tacos?”_ Aleks asks excitedly and he sounds like a kid in a candy shop. James laughs as he holds up the Old El Paso box and Aleks is looking at him like he’s a godsend.

“You’re gonna get _extra_ dick sucks when I get at you,” Aleks rumbles happily as he grabs an onion and carefully peels it.

“I’m not letting you within a hundred feet of me if you _ever_ say anything resembling that phrase again.” James snorts, turning the burner on and oiling the pan.

“You and your old man language.” Aleks giggles and James can hear him dicing the onion, slowly but surely. “Just because you’re not up to date with the speech of the current day.”

“Excuse _you_ ,” James protests, “nobody in the history of the entire world has uttered those words in a sentence until your trickster ass did just now!”

“Dick sucks is a perfectly reasonable expression.” Aleks sniffs, scraping the onion into a bowl and plopping it down on the bench for James to grab when the pan is hot enough.

They’ve picked up a rhythm over these past several weeks, always working in perfect tandem, and James can’t find anything surprising about that fact. Being with Aleks is just as natural as breathing.

James shakes his head as he empties the mince into the pan, hears the sizzle and hiss as the meat browns.

“You’re lucky I love you,” James points out and he can _feel_ Aleks’ grin without needing to look.

“Ok then, Golden Oldie,” Aleks pipes up, peeling some carrots, “here’s a question. You were doing the dirty with Elvis in 1955, but what about during the war?”

“Not as much as you’d expect.” James sighs, poking at the mince dejectedly. “Brett and I both wanted to fight in the Wars—all of them—but it just wasn’t possible for us.” 

“Why’s that?” Aleks asks, slicing a tomato nice and thin. 

“The way we look,” James frowns, turning to dump the onions into the frying pan and using the spoon mix it into the mince.

“Our appearance to humans definitely has its perks for obtaining sexual energy, but it was the exact reason we couldn’t fight on any battlefield,” James explains, still mixing the meat and onions to ensure they cook evenly. “Almost every man out there would have seen nothing but beautiful women when they looked at us, perhaps even their sweethearts waiting for them back at home. It would have been utter chaos, and nobody would’ve been the better for it.”

“Why would you _want_ to fight?” Aleks asks, reaching for the lettuce in front of him. “Wouldn’t any sane person be running in the exact opposite direction of the fighting?”

“A sense of duty?” James shrugs. “It didn’t seem fair for everyone in the world to be risking everything when we didn’t even need to lift a finger. Honestly, we were also fucking _bored_. Both Brett and I had been alive for centuries at that stage and we wanted something interesting to do.”

“ _Interesting_ …?” Aleks frowns. He doesn’t seem too taken on James’ lack of self-preservation.

“Well, yeah…” James confesses. “We had no higher purpose, that we knew of at the time. If we were going to lose our lives, at least it would’ve been for a good cause.”

“ _How can you even say that?”_ Aleks grits out and there’s a level of pain and anger reflected in his eyes that actually shocks James.

“It’s the truth, Aleks…” James sighs. “We’re _demons_. What higher purpose could we possibly have? Do you seriously think a creature like us could go to Heaven and all that crap? We prey on helpless fucking humans to survive!” 

“Stop it, James. _F_ _ucking stop it!”_ Aleks barks, his eyes sparkling with tears. 

“Why?” James asks, not really sure whether he’s challenging Aleks or wanting to understand. 

“ _Why?!”_ Aleks laughs, but there’s not a hint of humour to be found. “Because you’re the most wonderful person I’ve ever met in my life and I’m not just gonna sit here and let you treat yourself like you’re not worth a damn thing. You're worth more than most of the people on this fucking planet and whatever’s waiting for you on the other side is going to be just as perfect as you are!” 

There’s dead silence in the room, even Mishka has frozen with her ears pricked up and her eyes trained on the two of them. Aleks’ stare is as hard as steel, and James needs to turn around and check on the mince. He tells himself it’s to make sure it doesn’t burn, but he knows damn well that he’s just trying to escape the fire in Aleks’ eyes for a moment. 

“You don’t strike me as the religious type…” James mumbles, quiet over the sizzling of the frying pan.

“That’s because I’m not.” Aleks sighs and he sounds weary. “Although my step parents kind of are. I might not believe in some magic man in the sky, but I’d like to hope there’s _something_ waiting for us after we kick the bucket. Probably just wishful thinking on my part.” 

“I want there to be something there for you.” James turns to finally meet Aleks’ eyes. “You deserve to be happy until the end of time.”

“Not without you, I don’t.” Aleks says fiercely. “I’ll refuse to die until you’re right there next to me. I don’t want anything there if you don’t get to come as well…”

“Sounds about right.” James laughs, but there’s tears threatening in his eyes. Aleks chuckles too and the tension breaks just like that. “It’s alarming how vivid the image of you telling God to go fuck himself and coming back to wait for me is. Though, you’ll be waiting a long damn time.” 

“As long as it takes.” Aleks answers truthfully and James’ heart skips a beat. “But we could always agree to a suicide pact to speed things up.”

“I’d _never_ let you kill yourself.” James glares, emptying the spice mix into the mince. “You have way too much to live for.”

“Fair.” Aleks chuckles as he finishes chopping the last of the vegetables and arranges the salad on a spare plate.

James turns off the cooker, but he leaves the taco mix in the pan to keep it warm as he throws a few flour tortillas into the microwave to heat up.

Aleks looks like he’s practically salivating and James can only laugh as he throws him two tortillas straight from the microwave, hears him yelp and juggle the hot wraps until he manages to dump them onto his plate.

Aleks starts to get up, but James tuts him and grabs his plate to pile the tacos high with meat, sprinkling some cheese on top to start melting it. When James turns back, Aleks has that look in his eyes again, like he’s barely holding himself back from sucking James’ dick right in the middle of the kitchen. 

“Eat your tacos, you pervert.” James rolls his eyes and Aleks snorts as he piles on his salad and sauces. 

“You really can’t blame a man.” Aleks smirks and takes the largest bite of his taco possible, hums approvingly seeing as he can’t currently talk.

“I’m glad you’re eating well.” James notes, putting together a few tacos of his own. “Wouldn’t want that belly of yours going anywhere. I still have _abundant_ plans for it.”

Aleks chokes on his mouthful and James can’t help but laugh at his betrayed eyes.

Despite the shock, Aleks finishes the rest of his taco before he even takes a breather. He looks across at James, curiosity never sated.

“What  _were_ you doing during the Wars, if you weren’t fighting?” Aleks asks excitedly, biting into his second taco as James finishes off the bite he’s on.

“Not all that different from what we’d been doing before, to be honest with you. Mostly trying to relieve the boredom,” James admits. “Even with the whole world going to shit, we were able to travel around easy enough. Compulsion works wonders to get you what you need.”

“Brett and I were living in Russia during World War I, and of course that was the Eastern Front,” James muses. “We mostly went about our lives normally. Plenty of sex that comes with war.”

“Oh, yeah?” Aleks manages, between one bite and the next.

“Like you wouldn’t believe…” James smirks. “Soldiers rotating back from the front line for a few days would always be looking for a way to let off some steam, so we had a great selection to get us by. Oh, and the nurses as well. We could always take our pick.” 

“Oh…” Aleks trails off. “So, you like both?” 

“Yeah, of course.” James smiles. “What’s not to love?” 

“Not sure, man.” Aleks frowns. “But girls just don’t do it for me. I’ve known I was gay since I was a kid.”

“That’s fair,” James says. “Everyone’s different.”

“Do you have preferences?” Aleks asks, and he seems to be pondering James’ words. “You don’t like one more than the other?”

“I can’t say I do,” James murmurs truthfully. “Of course, there are certain physical characteristics that appeal to me more than others, but that just the nature of attraction. I was gonna say I’m only human, but that would be a lie.”

“That was _heinous_.” Aleks rolls his eyes and James winks at him.

“In all seriousness,” James clarifies, “I’ve been with men and women. I’ve physically _been_ men and women. After so long, you learn to see the beauty in the human body, no matter what form it takes.” 

“You sound just like Oberyn.” Aleks chuckles, picking at the little bits of salad that had escaped his tacos as he devoured them.

“Oberyn?” James tilts his head. “Oberyn Martell? From Game of Thrones?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.” Aleks nods. “You watched it?”

“Of course.” James rolls his eyes. “If you think Brett and I haven’t binged every good show since the dawn of television, you’re kidding yourself. What’s this got to do with Oberyn?” 

“He said something just like that at one point in the show,” Aleks points out, flipping out his phone to open Google. “I’m sure it’s on the wiki somewhere.”

“What am I? A rock?” James snorts and Aleks looks at him, confused. “I have perfect recall, remember?” 

“Oh…” Aleks blinks.

“Olyvar says to him, _Everyone has a preference_.” James speaks the words as if he’s reading directly from the script. “Oberyn replies with _Then everyone is missing half the world's pleasure. The Gods made that_ and he points to the girls _, and it delights me. The Gods made this,_ and he smacks the guy on the ass _, and it delights me. When it comes to war, I fight for Dorne. When it comes to love...I don't choose sides._ ”

“Look at you go, Mr Wikipedia.” Aleks grins, wide-eyed and amazed, as James does a mock bow and collects his now empty plate. “How do you do that?”

“The recall?” James asks and Aleks nods. “Not really sure. My best guess is that we need it to function. Human brains work the same as human bodies, they’re only meant to last for so long. For a creature that’s immortal, a regular brain would fail us after a century, so we have more powerful brains that can last along with us.”

Aleks sits there, nodding slowly, as James smirks and turns to wash the dishes. 

“How many of you are there?” Aleks’ voice makes itself known over the running water and James hums in query. “Incubi, I mean…”

“ _Oh._ ” James pauses, turning back to Aleks with the plate so he can dry it. “That’s another one I’m not quite sure about. There’s also Succubi, who are sex demons with a female true form. I honestly have no idea how many of us there are in the world, but it wouldn’t be very many.” 

“Really?” Aleks’ eyebrows shoot up. “I didn’t think you’d be so rare.”

“Yeah.” James squints. “Apart from Brett, I’ve seen one Succubus and two Incubi in my life. Brett only saw one other Incubus and three Succubi in the three centuries before that. My best guess is that there’s less than a hundred of us in the world.” 

Aleks whistles, eyebrows raised and eyes sparkling, “Guess I’m the luckiest fucking guy in the world to find you, then.”

“Not at all.” James shakes his head firmly. “I would’ve found you wherever you were.”

Aleks smiles and it’s like seeing the sun burst out from behind the clouds. The man just _glows_. James wants to kiss him, and he’s just decided to do precisely that when there’s a bang at the door. 

Mishka immediately bolts out from the bedroom, finally distracted from her mischief, and she’s immediately barking at the door and whining at Aleks to open it.

Aleks looks thoroughly baffled, but James can only shrug. Aleks quickly gets up and disappears around the corner to answer the door and James can hear a man asking him to “sign here.”

That’s when it all finally clicks. _The Egg!_

The door closes again and Aleks appears a few moments later, Mishka dancing around his legs.

“What the _fuck?”_ Aleks frowns, turning the nondescript shipping box around in his hands. “What’s this? I haven’t ordered anything…”

“Sit down.” James smiles, drying his hands with the towel. “Open it.”

Aleks stares at him, still confused, but there’s realisation quickly dawning on his face as he sinks into the closest barstool.

“ _James…_ ” Aleks frowns at him disapprovingly. “What did you do?”

“Sooner you open it, the sooner you find out.” James flashes him a grin and Aleks snorts as he starts picking at the tape. Despite his best efforts to the contrary, James can see how excited Aleks is as he rips the tape off and peeks inside the box. 

_God, please like it._

There’s a few layers of bubble wrap and tissue paper that protected the Egg on its journey, but finally Aleks is peeling back the last sheet. James can’t see the Egg from this angle, but he finds everything he needs to know in Aleks’ face.

There’s a gasp, barely audible, such a gesture of genuine shock. Aleks blinks a few times as he gently reaches into the box and lifts out the jewelled egg.

It’s absolutely _perfect_ , somehow better than even the photographs suggested. The gold trim and clear-cut diamonds catch the light at all angles, glittering softly and leaving a slight reflection on Aleks’ skin. 

Aleks seems absolutely speechless, still staring at the beautiful piece, and James manages to speak up.

“Do you like it?” James waits on bated breath, watching as tears pool in the corners of Aleks’ eyes. “It reminded me of you. I wanted you to have something that shared a connection with Russia.” 

Aleks finally looks to James and nods weakly, as if he’s lost the ability to voice his gratitude. His shaky fingers caress the egg’s outer shell, wondering at all the little gemstones and intricate patterns.

“Open it up,” James murmurs quietly and it takes a few seconds for Aleks to unclasp the egg.

There’s a beat of silence, heavy in the room, and the tears that had been steadily collecting in Aleks’ eyes finally overflow.

“моя душа…” Aleks chokes out. He immediately—but carefully—sets down the egg and rounds the table to fling himself into James’ arms.

“ _My Soul…_ ” James sighs contentedly, burying his nose in Aleks’ hair and breathing in the familiar scent of him as Aleks sobs against his neck.

Mishka is nervously pacing behind them, unsure of Aleks’ sudden outburst, but James just holds his boyfriend for as long as he needs to be held.

“I love you _so fucking much…_ ” Aleks mumbles, voice heavy with tears.

“I love you too, sweetheart.” James replies and he tips Aleks’ chin up so he can see him properly. Aleks’ eyes are red, tears clinging to his dark lashes and he’s still the most beautiful thing James has ever seen. 

James leans down to kiss him and Aleks kisses back, his movements verging on frantic as he does everything in his power to get as close as possible to James. When he finally pulls away a minute later, Aleks’ hand is fisted in James’ shirt and he’s already pushing him back towards the bedroom.

“You have _no_ idea the kind of things I wanna do to you…” Aleks rasps, sounding like he’s hanging on by a thread. “Wait for me, love. I’ll put the egg away safe.” 

And how in the _hell_ can James refuse _that?_

He nods quickly, turning on his heel and racing back into the bedroom. His heart is pounding in his chest and he tries to get his shaking fingers to work as he shuffles his pants down. He’s only just managed to get his underwear off before Aleks is bursting through the door and locking it behind him. 

James only has half a second to brace himself before Aleks is crashing into him, insistent hands already rucking up James’ shirt as he drives him back onto the bed.

James goes with it easily, caught up in the intensity and the sensation of being loved and desired so sensually, so passionately. His hands seek out Aleks’ skin, settling right where they fit best, where they were _made_ to fit absolutely, as he pulls Aleks into his lap. 

Their lips crash together, Aleks’ tongue seeking dominance and James allowing it as Aleks grinds down onto him.

“I want you in me.” Aleks pants, peppering James’ jaw with kisses between the words. “But _first_ , I owe you a blowjob.”

Aleks reluctantly climbs out of James’ lap, kissing his way down his throat and chest, sucking at James’ nipple just to hear him groan. He takes his time nipping around James’ navel, nose brushing through the dark curls of James’ pubic hair until he’s right where James is already far too hard from just a bit of teasing.

“ _God…_ ” Aleks murmurs, the tips of his fingers stroking their way along James’ inner thigh as he breathes in deeply. “You smell so _good_ , baby! You’re always so _wet_ for me, so ready whenever I need you.”

“You can’t say shit like that…” James scowls, a whine forced out of him as Aleks takes him in hand and runs his tongue along his shaft from base to tip.

“I can say whatever the _fuck_ I want to when my boyfriend loves me this much.” Aleks smiles, tasting James’ precome on his tongue before licking his lips appreciatively.

Aleks’ eyes are as dark as a tempest, clouded by hunger. He smirks when James’ fingers curl in his hair in anticipation of what’s about to come.

James is suddenly struck by the thought that Aleks looks absolutely _natural_ between his legs.

Aleks leans down, takes James into his mouth, and _holy shit_ it’s hot and wet and James is losing his fucking mind already. Aleks manages to drag a whimper out of him with a bob of his head and he seems to take that as sufficient encouragement to continue his torturously slow blowjob.

“ _Jesus_ …” James groans, carding his fingers through Aleks’ hair in complete adoration of this man and his fucking  _mouth_. Aleks glances up at him with hazy eyes but doesn’t falter in his ministrations for even a second.

The fucker tries to wink, but he’s so out of it that he ends up closing both eyes instead and James can only laugh softly as Aleks goes scarlet.

Aleks has a shit gag reflex and they both know it. James also knows, however, that Aleks is a stubborn asshole that won’t stop pushing his limits despite James’ assurances that he’s already perfect. When Aleks tries to go a little deeper, James’ annoyance at him pushing himself too far is immediately overwhelmed by the sensation of the head of his cock hitting the back of Aleks’ throat for just a second before Aleks is pulling back.

“If you want me to come in you, I’d suggest you finish up.” James gasps. “I’m about ten seconds from nutting, man.”

Aleks pulls off with a smirk, staring up at James with those deep brown eyes of his. He looks smug with all the power he has right in this moment.

“As much as I’d love that, I _do_ want you to come in me.” Aleks grins, scrambling up so he can hover over James’ lap.

James’ hands find their way to Aleks’ hips, petting the warm skin, but he frowns when Aleks reaches down to try and position James at his entrance.

“What do you think _you’re_ doing?” James raises an eyebrow, holding Aleks in place until he looks up, equal parts annoyed and confused.

“Riding you, dumbass.” Aleks rolls his eyes.

“Dude.” James sighs. “Just because you’re a horny motherfucker, doesn’t mean I’m just gonna fuck you without prepping you first.” 

“No fair…” Aleks pouts, trying to fight it, but James isn’t going to budge.

“The sooner you let me open you up, the quicker I’ll be fucking you.” James asserts and Aleks grumbles as he crawls off James’ lap to yank the lube from the bedside drawer.

“Just my luck to find an immortal sex demon with _morals_ …” Aleks huffs and James chuckles as he gets an arm around him and pulls him flush to his chest. Aleks lets out a quiet gasp, momentarily startled from his annoyance. James uses the opportunity to uncap the lube bottle and drop a kiss against Aleks’ throat.

“Careful now.” James smirks, squeezing a dollop of lube into his palm and massaging his fingers together to warm the gel. “Your ass is at _this immortal sex demon’s_ mercy now.” 

“Open me _up_ then, fucker.” Aleks taunts, shifting his weight in James’ lap to just brush against James’ still-aching dick. James growls as he grips Aleks tighter, snakes his fingers under Aleks’ thigh to reach him where he’s begging to be touched.

It’s intoxicating, honestly, watching Aleks’ lips part and his eyes grow heavy as James massages along his perineum, teases at his hole where he’s burning hot and starved for James’ attention.

He pushes the tip of a finger inside Aleks, trails kisses along his boyfriend’s jaw as Aleks clings to him and sighs so sweetly. He works the rest of his finger in, gives Aleks time to adjust to the gentle stretch as he pistons it slowly.

James teases another finger against Aleks’ rim, finds the muscle eager and willing to accept him. Aleks moans softly against the shell of his ear as James bottoms out both fingers inside of him. 

“ _James_ , come on…” Aleks pants, blinking sluggishly.

“I know, baby.” James soothes, one hand splayed on Aleks’ back to hold him close to his body as he starts to work up a rhythm. He crooks his fingers, seeking out Aleks’ prostate, and Aleks whines when he finds it.

To make the entire situation so much better, Aleks’ erection is trapped between their chests, and _Jesus H. Christ_ , James is not prepared to feel Aleks rutting his dick against James’ skin because it’s the only thing he can get at for stimulation.

“You ready for me now, baby,” James praises. If Aleks’ mewl wasn’t enough, the wetness of his precome against James skin is all the answer James needs.

He presses in one last finger for good measure and Aleks’ teeth graze into James’ shoulder as he scissors his fingers to fully stretch his boyfriend out. Aleks sounds overwhelmed, a sudden wail smothered against James’ skin, and James doesn’t have it in himself to deny him any longer.

It’s quite comical, really, Aleks’ reaction when James removes his fingers and lines himself up within the same stroke. He goes from needy and agitated to appeased in the space of a second, as he suddenly feels the head of James’ dick pressing against him. 

“Do it, James, _please_. Come on, babe, I-I want it… _Comeoncomeoncom—_ ” Aleks’ stream of pleas abruptly cuts off as James shoves into him, catches in Aleks’ throat with a choked whimper. He collapses against James’ chest, relying completely on James to support him, and James is _more than willing_ to do so.

James is suddenly engulfed by wet heat, tight and slick and all-encompassing. He struggles to think coherently, can’t decide where he wants his hands to go when he’s desperate to be touching a thousand different parts of Aleks at once.

He feels Aleks’ fingers in his hair, picking at the hair tie until his curls burst forth and settle around his head.  They cover Aleks’ face, where he’s pressed against James’ throat, already sucking a mark there. 

“ _Move, babe…_ ” Aleks whispers—in Russian—and James finally manages to reign his mind in again.

One arm is still around Aleks’ waist, locking him close to James’ body as his hand kneads at the soft flesh of Aleks’ ass, and he turns his head to nose at Aleks’ cheek.

“ _You’re_ riding _me_ , Aleks.” James grins, dropping a kiss on the flushed skin there. “I’m not exactly in the best position to move.”

Aleks goes scarlet, as if he’d legitimately forgotten that, and James can’t even describe how madly in love he is with this idiot.

“You can do it, baby.” James rumbles, brushes his lips over the shell of Aleks’ ear briefly and adds his own bit of Russian to even the odds. “ _You have all of me now. What are you gonna do with it?”_

Aleks shivers, but he flexes his leg muscles, lifts himself up about an inch before he’s dropping down again. Even that slow drag is enough to punch the air from James’ lungs.

“Jesus, _fuck_ …” James groans, leaning up to capture Aleks’ lips as the man in his lap starts rolling his hips. One of his hands finds its way into Aleks’ hair, gripping in the thick hairs.

He can feel Aleks panting against his lips as they move together, hot air washing over James’ flushed skin. Aleks moans as James gently tugs him back by his hair to expose his throat for a smattering of love bites.

“You’re so fucking _beautiful_ , baby.” James sighs, pressing his lips to Aleks’ throat where he can feel Aleks’ heartbeat thundering beneath the skin. Aleks’ rhythm is slow and halting, torn between James’ praise and the desire to seek out more prostate stimulation.

James’ hand drifts down to rest on top of Aleks’, guiding them both to where Aleks is hard and shining with precome. He looks between them and James can feel Aleks’ cheeks flaming as his eyes follow his gaze.

“Look how perfect you are…” James murmurs, folding their fingers around Aleks’ dick and giving him a slow pump that’s enough to draw a legitimate _sob_ from Aleks’ lips.

James can feel the change happen, feels the throb of Aleks’ cock beneath their fingers, the way his hole squeezes tight around James’ dick. All Aleks can manage is a weak roll of his hips before his head is thrown back and he’s coming.

Aleks cries out, thighs tensing as both of their hands work him through his release. James can feel Aleks’ come dripping over his knuckles, hot and wet and _so fucking addictive_. 

He lifts his hand to lick Aleks’ come off his fingers. The taste of it, combined with the dark look in Aleks’ eyes, is exactly what James needs to push himself over the line. 

“ _Fuck_ …” James groans, tongue still lapping at the last drops of Aleks’ come as he loses himself inside his boyfriend.

Aleks is a metaphorical _demon_ —if not a literal one—because the pride in his expression is absolutely _sinful_ as he feels James come, works his hips a little to make it feel all the more intense. 

That look doesn’t last much longer, however, because that usual exhaustion sweeps over Aleks’ body as the desire leaves his system. He’s still smiling, just faintly, but his body collapses on James’, trusting him wholeheartedly to keep him safe and protected.

James chuckles softly, burying his nose in Aleks’ hair to breathe in his scent and kiss him as Aleks’ breath fades down to a soft whisper.

He manages to pull out as carefully as possible, laying Aleks down to rest as he runs a washcloth under the bathroom tap and gently cleans him off.

By the time James crawls back into bed, he’s almost positive that Aleks is fast asleep, but Aleks’ hand reaches out tiredly and James tangles his fingers with it as he presses close to the warmth.

“I can’t believe, you bought that… _egg_ for me…” Aleks slurs with exhaustion, eyes already closed. “Nobody’s ever, got me anything…as beautiful as that…”

“Anything for you, _my soul_.” James murmurs, lifting Aleks’ hand to kiss the back of it. “Sleep, love. I’m not going anywhere.”

That seems to be all Aleks needs, because the ghost of a smile appears on his lips before his breath slows to a deep, slow rhythm.

James can properly look at him now, sees how Aleks truly does look exhausted; everything from the dark bags under his eyes to his comatose, post-coital body. He might be coming down with something and James wants him to have all the sleep he needs to get better. 

When James drifts off, he’s in the arms of the man he’s fallen so completely for, and a single moment has never felt more peaceful or more perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7 Soundtrack: [Turning Page by Sleeping At Last](https://open.spotify.com/track/2kfGoV9a5dbSKCNmUWH2ZF?si=Ha4ncA27RLKVeJQTyQzrhQ).


	8. Leave you in the morning and find you in the day

James wakes up to an oven, and it’s because of Aleks’ usual warmth that he doesn’t initially think anything of that fact.

His eyes slowly open, adjusting to the late-morning light streaming through the window, and he smiles at how messy Aleks’ hair is, dark locks falling around his face. 

Worryingly, the dark bruises under his eyes are even more pronounced than last night and he still looks completely and utterly exhausted.

His finger sweeps up to brush a few stray hairs from Aleks’ face, but James flinches back when he feels Aleks’ skin. Aleks is warm, always has been, but right now his skin is burning hotter than an open flame, far too high to be healthy. James quickly checks the rest of Aleks’ body but finds that he’s just as sweltering all over. 

“Aleks?” James says, petting at his boyfriend’s burning skin, but there’s no response at all. He tries rubbing him a little harder, but Aleks won’t respond to a thing. “ _Aleks?_ Baby, wake up…”

Panic rears its ugly head almost immediately and he checks Aleks’ breathing, feels that there’s barely any air hitting the back of his hand. James’ heart clenches painfully in his chest as he presses his fingers against Aleks’ windpipe, checking his pulse.

At first, he feels nothing at all, and he can’t stop the tears that cloud his vision as his breathing grows shallow with fear. Just when he feels hopeless, James finally finds a pulse, slow and unbearably weak, but still there.

“ _Aleks!”_ James howls, forcefully shaking the man to get him to _do something_. He can hear Mishka scratching and whining at the door, obviously aware of his panic. “ _Talk to me! Fucking hell!”_  

The room is silent except for James’ harsh breathing and Mishka’s barking behind the locked door. James needs to blink through a film of tears as he stumbles out of bed to snatch up his phone on the dresser. His fingers are trembling, but he finally manages to dial 9-1-1 as he races back to the bed. 

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” a woman’s voice asks. 

“It’s my boyfriend,” James pleads, feeling like he’s a second away from passing out. “He won’t wake up and his body temperature is skyrocketing and his heartbeat is way slower than usual.”

“Ok, sir, could I please have the address?” The woman’s voice is clear and calm, just as James’ would usually be, and it takes everything in him to stutter out Aleks’ address when all he wants to do is scream for help. The realistic portion of his brain, clouded by anxiety as it is, still recognises that the woman is doing everything she can to help Aleks. 

“An ambulance is on its way to your location as we speak, sir. Now, can you tell me if your boyfriend has taken any drugs recently?”

The flash of rage that overcomes James is frightening, but it’s quashed almost immediately at the realization that drugs are the most likely explanation for this situation under normal circumstances.

“No,” James sighs, petting through Aleks’ hair in anguish. “I’ve been with him and he’s never taken anything.”

“My name is Emma,” the woman says and James can hear her typing over the phone. “Luckily, we’ve got an ambulance not far from your location. I _promise_ you that help is on the way, but I’ll need you to help me until they get there. What’s your name, sir? And your boyfriend’s?”

“James Wilson,” James sighs, heart racing when he hears sirens wailing in the distance. “My boyfriend’s name is Aleks Marchant, with a ‘ks’.”

“Ok, James,” Emma says, “has there been any change in Aleks’ condition since you called?”

“He’s still got a fever and he’s…he’s not responding…” James tries to remain coherent, but he can tell that his sanity is quickly spiralling out of control. It takes his weak fingers what feels like an hour to find Aleks’ pulse; still slow, still weak, but _beating_ nevertheless. “His heart’s still beating, but it’s irregular.” 

“Ok, I’ve been informed that paramedics have arrived and they’re on their way up. Can you make sure the door is open for them to make their job more efficient?” Emma suggests, but she seems to sense James’ hesitance to leave Aleks for even a second. “I know you don’t want to leave Aleks alone, but you need to do this _now_ , James. Help the paramedics do their job and they will do their best to ensure Aleks is ok.”

“Ok…” James croaks, quickly pulling some clothes on and rolling Aleks over to dress him as well, seeing as they were both still naked from the night before. After checking Aleks one last time, James is lurching from the bed to open the bedroom door. Mishka is whipped into a frenzy already, sniffing around to try and figure out what’s wrong, and she follows James as he pulls the front door open. He needs to hold her back by the collar as two paramedics bustle through the door and ask to be led to Aleks.

James feels like he’s moving in slow motion, and the sight of Aleks on a stretcher being wheeled from the room makes his stomach lurch violently. He squeezes his eyes shut to try and stop the tears, but they fall anyway.

Mishka is barking and tugging against James’ grip to get at Aleks and it breaks his heart to see her so desperate to help. As the paramedics wheel Aleks from the apartment, all James can do is shuffle after them for fear of being left behind, only pausing long enough to shut the front door behind him. Mishka’s miserable eyes are the last thing he sees as he leaves and he doesn’t think he’ll ever get that image out of his brain.

The elevator ride to the lobby feels like it takes years and James can’t tear his gaze from Aleks’ flushed face as the paramedics run their initial tests and take a blood sample.

The woman looks to James and warns him that he’ll need to stick to the sides if he’s riding along in the ambulance, so they can continue their treatment and James nods numbly as he climbs into the vehicle to endure the unbearable drive to the nearest hospital.

They’re working away on Aleks the entire time. James has nowhere else to look except at Aleks’ face, studying him as if this is the last chance he’ll ever get. That thought alone tears James apart, but it won’t stop lodging itself at the forefront of his mind.

They’re probably only a minute from the hospital when James sees Aleks’ eyelids struggling to open and he blinks groggily before he seems to take in the situation around him.

“ _Aleks!”_ James wails. The paramedics immediately descend upon the man, tending to him and re-checking his vitals.

“Aleks?” the man asks, quiet yet insistent. “Can you hear us?”

Aleks blinks, brows turning down in his confusion, and he makes a muffled noise from behind the oxygen mask the woman had secured over his mouth and nose.

“We need you to stay calm,” the woman says, checking his pulse. “Don’t speak for now. Nod if you understand us.”

Aleks seems to be having a hard time not freaking out, but he nods weakly at her before his eyes flit to what James can assume is his own anguished expression.

Aleks looks distressed at James’ tears, despite all his confusion, and James sees his hand turn as much as he can. James reaches his hand up to lay his palm in Aleks’, squeezing his fingers gently. Aleks seems to finally relax and try to take stock of the situation. Of course, that’s exactly when the ambulance pulls to a halt and James needs to let go of him so he can be pulled out the back on the stretcher.

James follows after the procession almost as if he’s in a daze, doing his best to always remain within Aleks’ line of sight, but the time eventually comes when a nurse ushers him to a halt and tells him that he can’t go any further.

Watching Aleks’ despondent eyes disappear through the ward doors is the most heartbreaking sight James has ever witnessed. He feels like his entire world shatters when those heavy doors swing shut. 

He’s _alone_.

James has no idea how long he just stands there, knowing that he could compel his way to Aleks’ side yet understanding it would be wrong and selfish, that he’d only get in the way. 

Eventually, he manages to stumble over to the closest seat. His phone is at his ear before he even really recognises he’s making a call.

“James?” Brett asks, the TV playing something movie in the background. “What’s up, lover boy? Been too busy for your best friend, huh?”

Brett chuckles to himself, but he stops immediately when James replies, “ _It’s Aleks…_ ”

Brett isn’t stupid; he’s known James for centuries, and he knows  _exactly_ when something doesn’t sound right.

“Where are you?” Brett insists, already moving through the apartment as James relays the name of the hospital he’s at.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can!” Brett says and the call ends.

James drops the phone in his lap and just buries his face in his hands, jamming the heel of his palms into his eye sockets to try and scrub away the memory of Aleks’ limp body on their bed, James’ screams unanswered. 

James loses himself there, evidently, because the next thing he recognises is a warm hand on his shoulder. He looks up, fully expecting to find a nurse with some news, but Brett’s concerned eyes are searching his, mouth turned down into a thin line.

James doesn’t even think, just crushes Brett against his chest and sobs against his shoulder, feeling Brett’s huge arms snake around him to hold him just as securely as James cries and cries.

James wants to stop, he really doesn’t want to make such a scene, but the stubborn tears refuse to slow until they’re all finished. Brett strokes through James’ hair, comforting him in exactly the way he’s learnt to over the centuries they’ve known each other. 

“What’s wrong?” Brett asks, after James finally manages to pull himself together a bit, and it takes a moment for James to find his voice again.

“I—I don’t know…” James rasps, pulling back to hastily scrub his eyes. “He was _fine_ yesterday; just tired. But I woke up this morning and he had a fever and his heart was beating really slowly and he wouldn’t respond to me.”

“Holy shit…” Brett breathes, falling into the seat beside James.

“He woke up in the ambulance on the way here,” James explains, nails raking through his hair to try and get it under control again. “Seemed pretty out of it but he was _alive_. And then they took him through those doors and I haven’t seen him or heard about him since. I thought I’d lost him…” 

James lets out a shuddering breath, completely exhausted. He automatically leans into Brett’s body and just closes his eyes for a while to rest and try to get his brain functioning again. Brett seems to know that James doesn’t need any talking right now, so the silence stretches between them, comfortable in that way they’ve always been together.

Brett’s arm is still draped around James’ shoulder, his warmth quashing James’ urge to shiver with the sickening feeling still rolling around in his stomach, when the doors swing open and a woman in scrubs lays her eyes on the two of them.

“James Wilson?” she enquires tentatively, blushing a little when both he and Brett look up at her.

“I’m James.” He sits up, trying to read the woman’s face for any sign of the news she’s about to give. “Where’s Aleks? Is he ok?”

“Aleks is fine,” the woman assures. “He’s been asking for you.”

Brett breathes a sigh of relief and pats James on the back, but James can’t help but feel like the nurse isn’t telling him everything. 

“But…?” he coaxes.

“We’re still running some more tests,” she admits. “The symptoms seem indicative of syncope, but we’re still not quite sure what the underlying cause is…”

James frowns at that and shares an incredulous look with Brett. These are _medical professionals_ , surely they should understand what’s happening to Aleks…

“Regardless, I can take you to see him now, if you’d like.” The nurse smiles.

James is filled with such an intense longing to be by Aleks’ side and Brett obviously feels it, giving James an encouraging push to get going. 

When James stands, he wants to ask Brett to come with him, but he suddenly realises that there’s something he forgot.

“ _Jesus_.” James grimaces, cursing himself. “I’m so sorry, Brett, but can you do me a massive favour?”

“Of course.” Brett’s eyebrows knit together. “Anything you need…”

“Mishka and Celia are still at home,” James explains quickly, checking behind to make sure the woman is still waiting for him. “Mishka’s probably worried sick because the last thing she saw was Aleks being wheeled out on a stretcher. Celia will be lazing around the place somewhere as well. Would you be able to check up on them and replace their food and water?”

“Sure.” Brett nods, already standing, and he deftly catches the keys James tosses at him.

“You’re the best.” James sends him prayer hands. “I’ll call you or text you to let you know if anything changes.”

“Gotcha.” Brett smirks, nudging James in the direction of Aleks. “Now go check up on your boyfriend, dummy.”

James sends one last smile Brett’s way before allowing the nurse to lead him through the heavy doors and down a maze of hallways. They pass medical personnel and patients on their way, trolleys of surgical equipment and unused cots, until the woman comes to a halt and beckons James into a room labelled _302_.

Aleks is sitting up in the bed, expression startlingly frustrated as another nurse takes some blood. Aleks’ eyes dart up to meet James’ as soon as he enters the room and the wave of relief that washes over him is palpable.

“ _Babe!”_ Aleks sighs. “Thank god.”

James finds his way to Aleks’ bedside like he’s running on autopilot and he’s careful to avoid the machines measuring Aleks’ vitals as his hand finds Aleks’ in the sheets. He leans down slowly to kiss Aleks, but he doesn’t truly realise how desperate he was to feel Aleks’ lips until they’re pressed against his own.

“Don’t you _ever_ do that to me again.” James sighs, pulling away to search Aleks’ dark eyes.

“I don’t even know _what_ I did,” Aleks protests, squeezing James’ hand apologetically. “We went to bed last night and suddenly I wake up in an ambulance with you and nobody knows what went wrong?” 

“You’ve really never seen this before?” James asks, turning to the obvious doctor in the room, and the woman’s mouth thins.

“We don’t have an explanation for it…” she confesses. “Aleks’ fever dissipated soon after your arrival and his vitals all seem within healthy bounds.”

“There’s got to be _something_ you’re missing.” James sighs, studying Aleks’ tired eyes, searching for any hint of the lifelessness that he’d seen this morning. Aleks looks back at him; definitely exhausted but otherwise just as bold as ever.

“Probably…” The doctor frowns, reading through Aleks’ chart. “But from what we can tell, there’s every reason that Aleks _should_ be perfectly healthy.”

“I’m booored…” Aleks grumbles, crossing his arms like a petulant child. “I just wanna go home…”

“We still want to get some more results back from testing,” the doctor clarifies, “but if those come back negative, then we really don’t have any reason to keep you here…” 

“Good,” Aleks huffs, at the same time that James speaks up, “But we still don’t know what happened this morning?” 

“I’m truly sorry.” The doctor grimaces. “But we have no precise answer for this. For all we know, it may be some undetected parasite that we have no knowledge of yet, but there’s really nothing we can do until we know for sure that the symptoms are persisting...” 

Aleks asks her another question, but it’s drowned out by the sudden buzzing noise in James’ ears as his mind spirals uncontrollably, focusing on the only word that truly mattered from what the doctor just said. 

_Parasite…_

James feels a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach at the sudden realisation that that’s what _an incubus_ is. _H_ _e’s_ a parasite.

The sickening feeling from this morning returns with a vengeance and James grips onto the support railing of the bed to keep himself upright as his knees suddenly feel weak. 

It’s been him all along. He’s been inadvertently _killing_ the love of his life since the moment they first met. All the sex they’ve been having—the most loving James has ever experienced—is the entire reason for Aleks’ sickness and exhaustion.

James suddenly feels pressure around his wrist, a muffled voice calling his attention, and he does his best to hide the growing horror on his face as he meets Aleks’ troubled eyes.

“James?” Aleks squeezes his wrist again. “You ok, baby? You’ve gone really pale…” 

“I’m fine,” James rasps, turning to the doctor. “What do I need to do?”

James already _knows_ what he needs to do, but he needs to keep everyone talking or his mind may implode. 

“Well, if Mr Marchant is adamant on leaving, there’s nothing we can do to stop him. _However_ , we want you to be keeping a close eye on him to ensure none of the symptoms return.”

“Ok.” James hums, quiet over the sound of the ECG’s steady beeping. He feels rather than sees Aleks relax at the knowledge he won’t have to stay at the hospital overnight. 

“What’s the ETA on those test results?” Aleks mutters, picking at his sheets boredly, and James feels an overwhelming sadness wash over him at the knowledge that Aleks shouldn’t even _be_ here.

“It shouldn’t be much long—” the doctor starts, but she’s interrupted as an intern slips into the room and hands her a chart. “ _Oh…_ Perfect timing, Chelsea.”

The young woman smiles and nods as the doctor verifies Aleks’ information.

“Well, it seems as though you’re fine, Mr Marchant.” The doctor smiles, tucking the file under her arm as she carefully removes the equipment attached to Aleks. “You are free to leave, but _for your own sake,_ take it easy for a few days. Give your body a chance to heal itself.”

“Gotcha.” Aleks nods and sends James a smug grin that makes his heart ache.

Despite his insistence on being _absolutely fine_ , Aleks is still weak, so James loops his arm around Aleks’ waist to support him as they walk out towards the exit.

James guides Aleks into the back of a cab and slides in beside him, absentmindedly murmuring the address to the driver as Aleks rests his head on James’ shoulder.

“What’s with the frowny face?” Aleks says, peeking up at James through those lashes of his, dark eyes inquisitive. “Don’t worry about me, love, I’ll be healthy as a horse as soon as I’ve had some sleep.”

James plasters on a smile, but he needs to stare out the window because every moment looking at Aleks makes the dread in his mind grow thicker and more cloying.

The rest of the drive lapses into silence, even though James’ mind is anything but calm. It feels disgusting, _wrong_ , that Aleks should be scared for _him_ when _he’s_ the one that put them in this situation to begin with.

By the time they’re pulling up to Aleks’ building, Aleks has drifted off to sleep again. James’ anxiety isn’t quenched until Aleks’ eyes blink open and he smiles tiredly, allowing James to scoop him out of the car.

They manage to get up to the apartment without incident and Aleks plops himself onto a barstool after they manoeuvre around Mishka bounding about their legs, happy to see them home again. 

“Hey, sweetheart. Sorry I went missing this morning.” Aleks smiles down at her, ruffling the fur behind the ears, and it makes James’ heart clench in a way that solidifies his decision.

“Can I get you anything?” James asks, quiet, and Aleks smiles at him.

“If we have any juice left…?” Aleks asks and James nods, turning to get the carton out of the fridge.

“Thanks, babe.” Aleks smiles, gulping down the juice, and James can tell in his eyes that he’s starving as well. His body must be doing everything in its power to restore its energy.

James tries to hide the shame in his eyes as he collects ham, cheese and eggs. “Would you like an omelette?”

“You’d make my entire _year_ ,” Aleks sighs dreamily and there’s a burst of longing in his eyes that’s almost immediately overtaken by a huge yawn.

Holy _shit_ , even Aleks’ _desire_ to have sex with James is enough to drain energy from him. It takes everything James has to turn back and focus on heating the frying pan when he really feels like he’s going to break down.

He keeps his breathing even, listening to the quiet sounds of Aleks playing with Mishka behind him as the eggs hiss in the pan. 

By the time he’s plating the omelettes, Aleks is visibly ravenous, and he digs into the first one while it’s still hot enough to burn his tongue, cursing quietly but still not slowing down until he’s polished off the entire thing.

James silently pushes his own plate towards him and Aleks doesn’t even hesitate to scarf it down just as quickly. James knows that Aleks would normally feel horrible about taking his food, but he needs every bit of fuel he can get, and James is honestly feeling too queasy to even consider stomaching anything.

“ _Fuck_ …” Aleks smiles after he’s practically licked his plate clean. “You sure know how to make a meal.” 

James smiles, but there’s no humour in it, and he quickly takes the plates and cleans them. 

“You should rest…” James murmurs, drying his hands off, and Aleks looks set to argue the point before he’s overcome by another massive yawn.

James brings a bottle of water with him as he rounds the island and guides Aleks through the apartment to the bedroom.

Aleks collapses into the still-messy bed from this morning’s nightmare and James carefully pulls off the clothes he’d been wearing at the hospital, not only for his own sanity but also for hygiene reasons. He can’t afford for Aleks to get sicker when his immune system is already so compromised.

Aleks is reaching for James as soon as he’s pulled the covers back, making feeble grabby hands at him until James carefully scoots himself onto the bed and allows Aleks to drape himself over James’ body.

He blinks up at James, eyes weary but warm, and it doesn’t take long for him to catch on.

“Why do you look so sad?” Aleks pouts, thumb smoothing out James’ worry lines, and James sighs. “What’s the matter, love? You don’t need to be sad…”

“Don’t worry about me.” James murmurs, catching Aleks’ hand so he can guide it to his lips and kiss Aleks’ knuckles.

Aleks frowns, clearly not satisfied, and James feels like he’ll die if he doesn’t say something _now_.

“I love you, Aleks…” he breathes, “so fucking much…”

“Don’t say it like that…” Aleks grimaces, skin still warm against James’ cheek. 

“Don’t say it like what…?”

“Don’t sound like you’re saying goodbye to me,” Aleks murmurs. “We’ll be ok…”

“I made you a promise, didn’t I?” James swallows, kissing Aleks’ hand again.

_The one promise James never thought he’d need to break…_

“I want you…” Aleks whines, wriggling closer to James’ body, “want you right now.”

“You _should_ be resting…” James frowns.

“Fuck _that_ ,” Aleks groans, pawing at James’ shirt plaintively. “I want you, baby.”

Just as before, Aleks’ spike of lust is devoured in an instant, and he suddenly looks like he’s barely able to keep his eyes open. It’s impossible for James to describe how much disgust he feels at his stupid fucking powers, so he just strokes Aleks’ cheek, fingertips memorising the curve of Aleks’ face.

“ _Rest_ , Aleks. You’re gonna be ok soon…” James murmurs and he can see the exact moment that Aleks’ eyes drift closed and he falls asleep.

The last shred of James’ control dies in that moment and he has no chance of stopping the tears as the world shudders and blurs, as the hot tracks make their way down his cheeks.

James has no clue how long he just sits there with Aleks’ body wrapped up in his arms, and the entire world falls away as he mourns silently, running his fingers through Aleks’ hair.

He looks at Aleks, _really_ looks at him, and he realises he’s been absolutely blind all along. Aleks had always looked perfect to James, there couldn’t be any other way, but that love had clouded James’ thinking and rendered him a fool.

James finally sees the deep bags under Aleks’ eyes, the bone-deep exhaustion that’s overcome Aleks’ body. He finally realises how much thinner Aleks is than when they met, despite all the extra food James has been feeding him. His body has been tearing itself apart and James is the entire reason for it. 

“I’m sorry…” James sniffles, wiping his eyes to clear his vision. “I’m _so_ fucking sorry, angel.”

James knows what he needs to do, but the mere thought of it is terrifying, makes his stomach turn like the pain will swallow him whole.

James’ fingers sweep through Aleks’ hair again, brushing the dark, shaggy strands from his face so he can lean down to kiss him. He only means for it to be quick, but that little voice in his head that he _hates_ reminds him that this will be the last time he’ll ever kiss this man he’s fallen so deeply in love with, and James can’t will himself to pull away until he’s sure he’ll pass out from a lack of oxygen. 

Aleks’ cheek is warm, but thankfully not feverish, when James’ hand caresses his face. It takes every bit of strength James possesses to swipe his fingers over Aleks’ forehead and he feels his magic buzzing through his fingertips as it does its job.

He considers the egg, but he can’t imagine taking it from Aleks now, couldn’t possibly stand the reminder. He leaves it in Aleks’ memory, as a memento of his inheritance instead. 

James chokes on a sob as he feels his magic take hold, erasing every trace of himself from Aleks’ memory. He can’t see through the tears, but he hears Aleks’ faltering sigh, even in slumber, confirmation of the reset, and the stab of pain in his heart is enough to take his breath away. 

_Why?_

After _centuries_ of aimlessly wandering this fucking planet without any real purpose, the one thing he ever thought he was actually meant for gets torn away from him before he even has a chance to properly experience it.

What happened? What did he _do?_ Which God did he piss off enough that they’ve damned him to _this fucking existence?_

Aleks sleeps on, too exhausted to be roused from his slumber by James’ pitiful cries or the breaths he struggles to draw in. Aleks looks so fucking peaceful, even in his current state, and James commits every minute detail to memory, makes sure he’ll never forget the way Aleks looks right now.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and James forces himself to check it. It’s a text from Brett, a short and sweet, **everything alright?** that finally sets James’ brain back in motion. A reminder that everything is _not_ alright and that every second he prolongs this departure will make it all the harder for him to leave.

“До свидания, Алекс.” James sighs, pressing his trembling lips to Aleks’ skin one last time. “Я тебя люблю. Прости меня…”

The Russian flows off his tongue, and it seems _right_. He can’t bear to say this in English, almost as if doing so would make it real, or that it wouldn’t mean the same? Russian is _their_ thing, Aleks’ and his, and it seems offensive to part with anything other than his true sincerity.

And James _doesn’t want_ to make this real, wants to pretend for as long as he can that his heart isn’t being ripped from his chest, doesn’t want to make this nightmare a reality. It’s stupid of him, and he knows it’ll hurt all the more when he finally admits this all to himself, but he can’t help but try to hold onto the last scraps of his happiness, of the life he might have had the chance to live, if fate had been kinder.

Another message buzzes and James forces himself to move before he can even think about it. He carefully shifts Aleks off his body, settles him on the mattress, and pulls the covers up so he doesn’t catch a chill.

James finds himself unable to look at the man he loves anymore, still in denial about what comes next. He turns towards the door, feeling every footstep drag with an immeasurable weight; as heavy as his heart.

He closes the door behind him without looking back, though it takes all he has, and leans back against it.

When he finally opens his eyes, having tentatively convinced himself that he can do this, he immediately realises how wrong he was.

Mishka stares up at him, dark eyes solemn and sad, and it’s the first time James has ever seen her tail _not_ wagging.

_She knows_ , James curses himself and trudges over to the couch, sinking down with his back pressed against the soft material. Mishka nestles herself in his lap, muzzle pressed to his arm as she looks up at him with those doleful eyes.

“I’m so sorry, honey…” James sighs, petting through her thick fur. The pup huffs, pressing her nose into his palm dejectedly.

James is still trying to comfort her when he notices movement from the corner of his eye and Celia pads over to his other side. She looks just as miserable as Mishka and it absolutely breaks what's left of James’ heart. 

“I’ve gotta go, babies.” James swallows thickly. “It’s the only way to keep him safe. You guys have to take care of him for me, alright?”

Mishka whines again and James is struck again by how similar to Ein she looks in this exact moment, like having his old friend right here in front of him.

That fact is more than James can handle, so he forces himself to his feet, stumbling towards the front door. He catches himself on the island, looking back over his shoulder one last time.

Celia hasn’t moved an inch, just stares at him with unhappy eyes, and she lets out a low-pitched, mournful yowl.

The tears flood James’ vision again and he blindly shoves his way through the front door, locking it behind himself. He can hear Mishka scratching and whining from behind the door, but he turns on his heel and manages make it down the hall. 

The obnoxiously cheery ding of the elevator’s arrival makes James feel sick and he stumbles into the box. 

_Just get home. You’ll be ok_ , he tells himself.

The metal doors slide shut, one of the only worlds James has ever known and loved abruptly cut off with them, and he collapses, sobbing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> “До свидания, Алекс.” = "Goodbye, Aleks."
> 
> “Я тебя люблю." = "I love you."
> 
> "Прости меня…” = "Forgive me..."
> 
>  
> 
> Chapter 8 Soundtrack: [Tightrope by Michelle Williams](https://open.spotify.com/track/0GVuLQtPXFaL18ijEOqoAa?si=x4khaAKrSLmEea5_FKzuHQ), [Like I'm Gonna Lose You by Jasmine Thompson](https://open.spotify.com/track/2pV8RpdLemcyMWko8dASVt?si=eWvMi4XPQqimCSLGgevbSg) and [In My Veins by Andrew Belle and Erin Mccarley](https://open.spotify.com/track/7LwGBxB0h0CVmkOZxYKn0g?si=eDslUcg0RkG_-hQDyacvEA).


	9. It’s to you I’ll always belong

Time is a blur all over again, has no meaning whatsoever, and James can’t will himself to care anymore. 

Brett is…well, _Brett_. He does what he can, wandering aimlessly around the apartment, tending to his succulents and watching James with helpless eyes. He hardly leaves the house, except to replenish groceries and sneak in a quick fuck to tide himself over.

Brett’s persistent, James will give him that, and he manages to force James to eat and drink as much as he can, despite the fact James constantly feels sick to his stomach.

It’s not really making a difference, though, and they both know it. Each day that passes takes a little more from James, zaps away more of his remaining strength, and food isn’t going to do shit to replenish it. 

He _needs_ sex, but the mere thought repulses him. How can he even consider being with someone else after Aleks? How could anyone else in the world compare to what it had felt like to be in the arms of the man he loved and lost? The whole idea of it is _wrong_.

James doesn’t watch TV anymore, can’t find in himself the desire to sit through the crappy daytime roster of cheesy romantic movies that make him feel even worse. Instead, he’s taken to watching the shadows rise and fall, stretching and distorting as day makes way for night and then for day again. They’re his only real indication of time passing and James’ mind focuses on them as best it can as it grows hazier by the day.

He’s so _tired_ , and his eyes are closed before he can really even think about it.

He sees Aleks’ face, same as always, reflected in his dreams, or maybe they’re nightmares. James can’t really tell the difference at this point.

Aleks smiling, dancing around the kitchen. Aleks giggling as Mishka wraps her leash around their ankles and sends them both tumbling to the grass in a mess of limbs. The way Aleks had looked before their first date, hair perfectly styled and eyes warm as melted chocolate. How good it felt to have Aleks inside him, to feel completely and utterly protected in his arms…

James gasps as his body registers movement and his eyes shoot open, taking a few seconds to regain clarity.

Brett’s form slowly swims into focus and James sighs. The Incubus looks haggard, despite the sex he’s managed to acquire, the frown lines etched deep into his forehead.

It feels _wrong_ , _unnatural_ , to see his best friend like this. Brett’s typically so carefree and fun-loving, and James feels absolutely terrible to be the reason for his suffering.

“Hey.” Brett sighs quietly, hand warm on James’ shoulder. “I just needed to know that you were still…you know…”

“Alive,” James croaks and Brett swallows thickly.

“I can’t do this, James…I—I just _can’t…_ ” Brett’s voice wavers and there’s a level of pain in his eyes that manages to dig the blade deeper into whatever remains of James’ heart. “You’re the only friend I have in this world, and I can’t sit here and watch you die.”

“I’m sorry…” James mumbles and Brett’s tears finally overflow.

“ _No!”_ Brett snaps and James doesn’t even have the energy to flinch back. “Don’t be sorry! Just…just _fuck_ someone, ok? _Anyone_. Get yourself _better_ , for me and for Aleks, if not for yourself…”

“I _can’t_ ,” James chokes, feeling his own tears overflow. “I don’t want to be a _parasite_ anymore, Brett. I can’t live like that! I can’t be with Aleks and I can’t keep going without him…”

“And what about me, huh?” Brett retorts. “What about the one guy who’s been by your side for two centuries? You really think I’d be able to move on if I lost you? You expect me to spend the rest of fucking eternity _alone?”_

“Don’t talk like that…” James screws his eyes shut, but it does nothing to hide the image of Brett’s dark, hurt eyes from his mind. It’s not fair and James knows it, knows that he’s selfish and stupid and he keeps hurting all the people he loves most.

“It’s the truth, James!” Brett snaps. “You’re the only thing I have left…”

James doesn’t have the energy to fight, so he drops his head down again, staring at his best friend miserably.

“’m sorry…”

James sees the recognition sink in, and astonishingly, James doesn’t see any sorrow in Brett’s eyes, only a sudden ferocity he can’t really explain.

“Fuck that! No, _fuck that!”_ Brett growls, standing. “I’m not just gonna sit here and watch you die. If you’re not gonna save yourself, I’ll have to do it for you.”

James has no idea what he’s talking about, but he watches on as Brett disappears into his room and returns with his laptop. He starts typing away furiously, scanning what James can only assume is page after page of research.

James drifts in and out of consciousness again, can’t really tell where his dreams begin and reality ends, sees Aleks’ face and Brett’s face and Ein and Mishka and Celia and Aleks— _always Aleks_.

The next time he startles awake, Brett is bustling through the door with an assortment of cardboard boxes, dumping them in the corner to collect more, on and on until the room is absolutely teeming with them and looks like a storage warehouse. He stands there in the middle of the room, chest heaving from the exertion, and James can’t even begin to wonder what he’s doing. 

“What—the _fuck_ , Brett…” James rasps, feeling like his voice is hardly there anymore.

“LA Central Library,” Brett declares matter-of-factly, as if that’s supposed to adequately to explain the piles of boxes in their home. He’s already diving into the closest box to retrieve a book so massive and ornate that it doesn’t even look like it comes from this millennium.

As if to prove James right, a cloud of dust envelops Brett when he blows off the cover, and the other Incubus wheezes and rubs his eyes.

James must be looking at Brett like he’s lost his fucking mind, which he _absolutely has_ , but Brett meets his eyes and finally deems it time to explain himself.

“Don’t look at me like that, motherfucker! _You’re_ the one who’s decided to kill himself over a broken heart.” Brett glares, gently opening the book and staring down at the words incomprehensibly. “I compelled my way into the library archives and found every ancient book that could possibly have magic in it.” 

“Magic, Brett? _Really?”_ James rattles. 

Yep, Brett’s definitely gone loopy.

“Fuck you!” Brett spits, turning over the page to study the other side. “You weren’t even fucking _born_ yet. You haven’t seen the shit I’ve seen. I saw the Aztecs do shit I couldn’t even try to explain. I saw them legitimately bring people back from the _dead_ more than once! If they can do _that_ , I can find something to help you.”

“What could… _possibly_ help me?” James sighs.

“I have no fuckin’ clue…” Brett admits and his troubled eyes meet James’ one last time before his attention is back to the book.

James closes his eyes; he really doesn’t have the energy to keep them open any longer. But what he can’t see, he does hear; the shuffle of old pages and the movement of boxes as Brett works. 

He knows he nods off more, can barely stay conscious as hours drag on. Every time he opens his eyes, they feel heavier than the last time and James is just waiting for the inevitable point where they never open again.

Hours turn into days; at least that’s what James can surmise when his usually hyper-speed mind feels muddy and unfocused. The apartment is a hell of a lot messier each time James wakes, that’s his only real proof of time passing—apart from Brett, of course. 

As bad as the other Incubus had looked a few days ago, he’s growing more ragged and desperate as his search wears on with no obvious success, books scattered around him on every available surface. His eyes are bloodshot from days on end of constant reading, hair dishevelled and clothes unkempt. 

James would feel terrible for putting him through this, would feel such an overwhelming love that Brett’s willing to do anything at all to save his life, but he _can’t_. James isn’t capable of feeling anything at all anymore. He’s not even a person, really, barely a husk of what he’d once been.

The only thing that could possibly survive in James’ faltering mind is Aleks; his face is still there, same as always. Maybe that’s the only thing that’s keeping James from letting go, not wanting to be anywhere that Aleks isn’t. If he goes to Hell, Aleks will never go there. Aleks is too pure to ever be sent there.

James drifts, until he doesn’t.

The curse is enough to rouse him back from the edge of darkness, but his eyes are too bleary to recognise anything other than Brett’s general outline as it looms closer.

“Hey, _James_. Still there?” Brett’s muffled voice makes its way into James’ ears and he blinks until the Incubus finally swims into view. James tries to speak, but his throat feels like sandpaper and all he can do is try to keep breathing.

“I think I found something…” Brett trails off, almost as if he can’t truly believe it. “It’s in a language I’ve never seen before, but I managed to pick it up by reading the glyphs around it.”

Brett pushes aside books and clears a space in the centre of the room, stirring the dust up into a storm. James suddenly feels himself being lifted off the couch and laid down on the floor. Brett’s visage hovers over him, tired eyes staring down at what James can only assume looks like a corpse.

Brett swallows and looks back to the book, tracks down the page with his brows knitted.

“It’s—salt…in a, _round?_ No. Wheel? Oh, ring? Ring! _Salt ring!”_ Brett gasps, lurching to his feet and stumbling in the direction of the kitchen. James hears him banging around in the cupboards and he returns with a half-empty bag of table salt, shovelling out a handful to lay out a haphazard line around James’ weakened body. 

“What else...?” Brett mumbles, searching the page again. “Sss—smog? _Smoke?_ Where there’s smoke, there’s fire!”

Brett’s head whips around desperately, eyes searching, and he obviously remembers something as he disappears from James’ sight again.

There’s crashing all throughout the apartment and finally Brett is back with as many candles as he could possibly find. The Incubus sets them around James—all within the ring of salt—and strikes a match, the flame glowing brilliant in the dark room. It takes him a minute to light all the candles, seeing as his fingers are shaking so bad, but he eventually manages it, releasing a relieved breath.

“One more…” Brett sighs, glancing over at the page one more time to confirm his suspicion.

“ _Blood_.” 

Brett stares down at James for a long moment, eyes determined, and James struggles to let an objection reach his lips. The truth is apparently clear in his eyes, though, and Brett shakes his head, catching James’ searching hand.

“Only a drop,” he clarifies, studying the book again.

James hears Brett gasp and the Incubus turns around with a tiny cut over his fingertip, most likely from one of the hundreds of books surrounding them. A single drop of blood wells up, stark in contrast to Brett’s complexion. He carefully raises his finger over the nearest candle and James watches the crimson droplet fall, almost as if it’s in slow motion.

There’s a hiss as soon as Brett’s blood hits the flame, and every candle around James suddenly flares brighter, the flames taking on a reddish hue. James can feel the heat against his skin, growing warmer by the second, but it takes him a second to realise that there’s also a heat growing _inside_ of him.

It starts in his heart, slowly spreading outwards along his limbs until he feels hot from his fingertips to his toes. James knows it should be burning him, feels like his core is blazing hotter than the Sun, but all he feels is a staggering energy that overcomes him.

All of a sudden, the ring of salt around James’ body bursts into flame and Brett shouts, skittering backwards.

“ _James!_ Are you ok? Is it hurting you?”

James is utterly speechless, couldn’t form the words even if he tried. He hears his heartbeat thundering in his ears, spurred on by the fire. He wants to tell Brett he’s fine, or at least he _thinks_ he is, but there are no words to describe how revitalising this feels, more than any amount of sexual energy he’s ever experienced before.

The light glows so bright that James needs to squeeze his eyes shut to protect them. He hears Brett make a terrified noise before the heat and light dissipates in one last blinding flash, the rustle of pages the only indication of any movement in the room.

“Jesus _Christ!”_ Brett wheezes, peeking cautiously out from the pile of books he’d obviously sought refuge behind, and his wide eyes meet James’. “ _Holy fucking shit!_ It—it _worked_ …”

“What?” James clears his throat, still feeling the remnants of the fire, and he looks over at his friend as Brett slowly edges closer. “What _was_ that?”

Brett’s still staring at him like he’s some foreign entity, but he silently points towards the top of James’ head. _What did that motherfucker do to his horns…?_

James reaches up and grabs a handful of hair, curls untamed from his previous ordeal, but it’s the lack of horns that makes James’ breath catch in his throat. 

“What did you _do!”_ James shrieks, desperately feeling around for the horns that are evidently not there anymore.

“ _It worked!”_ Brett gapes in astonishment, apparently unphased by James’ freak out.

“ _What worked, motherfucker?!”_

“ _Pick up that candle._ ” Brett says and James grabs the candle. “ _And throw it over there._ ”

James immediately lobs the candle across the room, cringing when it smacks against the wall with a dull thud. It’s only then that he realises he just threw a damn candle for no apparent reason.

“…why?” James trails off, frowning at Brett when the other Incubus starts cackling like he’s gone mad. 

“ _I’m obviously missing some joke, so would you mind filling me in?”_ James scowls, but Brett only laughs harder. 

“Why did you throw the candle, James?” Brett manages between fits of giggles.

“I don’t know!” James groans.

“You did it”—Brett wipes tears from his eyes like the asshole he is—“because I _compelled_ you to.”

“You can’t compel an Incubus, Brett!” James deadpans and Brett keeps looking at him pointedly like he’s a child, not a particularly bright one at that.

Finally, it sinks in. 

“You—I’m—” James tries to wrap his head around the realisation and Brett just raises an eyebrow, smirking. “I’m _human?”_

“And we have a _winner!”_

“No…That’s impossible, dude.” James shakes his head in disbelief, trying again to find his horns.

“Oh, I’m _sorry!”_ Brett rolls his eyes. “Was the _flaming ring of salt_ not up to your standards of unexplainable shit?”

James raises his hand in front of his face. He twists and turns to study it from every angle. He doesn’t _look_ any different, and he doesn’t really _feel_ any different either. This has got to be some hallucination, his mind’s last-ditch effort at closure before it completely shuts down…

“I’ve lost it…” he repeats and Brett heaves a great sigh.

“ _Make me a sandwich, James_.” Brett says. James glares at him.

“Why _the hell_ would I want to make you a motherfucking sandwich?” James complains as he gets to his feet and shuffles through to the kitchen, collecting ingredients automatically. Before he knows it, James is looking down at a crude ham and salad sandwich and he gapes as Brett grabs the plate and takes a huge bite out of James’ creation. 

“Thank you, dearest.” Brett grins through a mouthful of bread. “I was absolutely _ravenous_ after watching you spiral into depression for the last month.”

“You just compelled me to make you a fucking _sandwich?!”_ James screeches and Brett just winks as he finishes off his last mouthful.

“I was merely killing two birds with one stone.” Brett shrugs. “You needed proof and I needed a snack. Everyone wins!”

“But…if I’m _human_ , then— _Aleks!”_  

“ _About time,_ ” Brett retorts, staring pointedly at James. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten him already.”

“Shut up!” James groans, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge and taking a huge gulp. Being human is thirsty work, and not the kind of thirst he’s used to. “I nearly _died_ , you insensitive prick.”

“And _whose_ fault was that, Mr Melodramatic?”

“…point taken,” James huffs and Brett chuckles softly.

“So, how is it, my man?”

“How’s what?” James frowns.

“The Motherfucking Human Experience™.” Brett grins.

“I could  _hear_ the trademark symbol in that and it saddens me.” James pouts. Brett snorts and mock punches him.

“Shut _up!”_ Brett laughs. “I’m serious here! What does it feel like?”

James studies his hands again, really considering how he’s feeling.

“Weird…” James admits. He pats his head again, but all he finds is hair. “I feel a little off-balance without my horns. My sight is definitely worse, and the hearing too. Pretty close to what we deal with when we haven’t fed for a week or so?”

“ _Ugh_.” Brett wrinkles his nose up, but James rolls his eyes at the big baby.

“Oh hush. We’ve been spoilt for _far_ too long.”

Brett sighs and James stares at his best friend, at the man who’s stood by his side for centuries, who travelled the Earth hundreds of years before he was even born. He never wants to leave him behind.

James rounds the island to pull Brett into a tight hug. Brett freezes up for half a second before he’s crushing James against his chest, dropping his chin on James’ shoulder. James really doesn’t know how long they stand there in each other’s arms, but he knows he doesn’t want to let go.

“Come with me…” he murmurs quietly. “Be _human_ , Brett.”

“And give up being the sexiest motherfucker in every room?” Brett chortles. “ _As if!”_  

“I’m _serious_ ,” James chides, pulling back to search Brett’s eyes. “We’ve experienced _every single thing_ the world has to offer— _both_ of us. But this is our chance to really _live_. You can meet someone, just like I met Aleks. You can properly fall in love and know that they love you for who _you_ are, have a family if you want that and grow old by their side, by _my_ side. Let’s do it, Brett! Let’s finally _live!”_  

Brett stares at James for a very long fucking time, a million different emotions fighting for attention in his dark eyes. 

“I don’t know…” Brett says quietly. “I’m just—I’m  _scared_ , James…”

“So am I!” James smiles. “But feeling scared is what being human _is_ , it’s _feeling_. That’s why I _know_ you can do this.”

“ _Fiiiinnne_.” Brett huffs, but James can see his smile stretch wide and James suddenly feels like everything might just be perfect. “But I am gonna miss getting whatever I want…” 

“Compulsion ain’t everything, Brett! We’re gonna be rich until the day we die!” James smirks. 

“Oh dear.” Brett sighs. “How could I have forgotten our immense fortune?”

James snorts, but he pulls his best friend in for another quick hug, and the crushing weight is comforting.

“Gimme a few weeks,” Brett mumbles over James’ shoulder, “just to make sure we get everything sorted that we’ll need before compulsion isn’t an option for us anymore and then I’ll join the ranks of the Homo sapiens.”

“Can’t wait.” James nods and can’t help but smile as he pulls away.

“Now stop being so _mushy_ and go find your bloody boyfriend!”

“ _Oh crap_ , yeah…” James curses himself for getting side-tracked again. “My brain capacity isn’t what it used to be. Focusing is  _hard_ , dude.”

“Go, go.” Brett laughs, shooing him towards the door.

“But…I _wiped his memories_ , Brett. What happens if he doesn’t even remember me?”

“There’s only one way to find out, lover boy!” Brett insists. “Now get going!”

“Ok, fine,” James snorts. He darts in front of the wall mirror before he reaches the door.

He looks…like himself, sort of. Eyes that were once black are now a deep brown—warm like chocolate—and probably only a few shades darker than Aleks’. It’s still weird seeing himself without horns anymore, but he has to admit that he’s still attractive, as humans go. His hair, on the other hand, is an absolute dumpster fire of dark curls, and he resolves to fix that in the cab on the ride over to Aleks’.

“ _Yes, we get it._ You’re hot.” Brett grumbles, pushing James towards the door. “Now go get your man!”

“Party pooper,” James pouts, but he chuckles as he dodges another playful shove and darts out of their apartment.

James flies out into the street to wave down a taxi. It understandably takes longer than usual to get one to stop but brandishing a handful of bank notes quickly does the job.

He tells the driver he’s in a rush and hands him the money immediately to emphasise his point. The driver nods and sets off straight away while James furiously does what little he can to fix his appearance before he gets there. 

There’s a deep pit of anxiety twisting his stomach in knots at the thought of seeing Aleks. He wants nothing more in the world to be in Aleks’ arms again, but the night James left him, he’d completely wiped every trace of himself from Aleks’ memories. He tries not to let himself think about the possibility of Aleks not remembering his existence after going through all of this to be able to be with him.

He’s shocked from his thoughts as the car pulls up to the curb outside Aleks’ building. James thanks the driver and darts out to stare up at the familiar structure.

With his heart beating out of his chest, James suddenly realises that he’ll need someone to let him up to Aleks’ floor, and that he can’t compel his way through anymore.

Suddenly the front door of the building starts to open and James seizes his chance before he can lose his nerve, bounding up the steps to make sure he gets through before the door locks behind the departing person.

That is, until Mishka comes barrelling through the door, obviously excited for her walk, and she yanks Aleks behind her.

At first, James needs to do a double take, because the shock of platinum blond hair throws off his expectations, and he can only sit there gawping up at the man on the steps above him.

“ _Shit_ , sorry dude.” Aleks chuckles as he finally notices James, wrangling Mishka as best he can. “Did you need to get in?”

James feels absolutely lost for words, still reeling at Aleks’ newly bleached hair, the way that his eyes sparkle and his skin glows now that he’s had a break from what James’ powers had done to him. 

“I, uh…no—I’m…” 

Thankfully, James is saved from his cringeworthy speechlessness by Mishka obviously recognising him and leaping up to give him kisses and yaps. He nearly cries at how _ecstatic_ she is to see him, and petting through her shaggy fur is everything James didn’t know he’d been missing.

“Jesus, Mishka. Calm down!” Aleks yelps, losing the leash as Mishka all but bounds into James’ arms. “I’m so sorry, man. She’s never usually like this around strangers. I have no idea what’s gotten into her.”

_I’m not a stranger to her_ , James wants to say, but it won’t make a difference either way. He’s still a stranger to Aleks and that’s what makes James’ heart sink.

He’d been so fucking _stupid_ , wiping all trace of himself from Aleks’ mind, and now the man he’s fallen in love with has no idea who he is now that James can finally be with him. 

“I’m sorry.” James stands, staring at Aleks’ dark, confused eyes. He feels his throat tighten and he knows that he needs to get out of here before he does something stupid. “I shouldn’t have come…”

James turns around, much to Mishka’s distress, but he only makes it a few steps before Aleks calls out.

“Hold on! Didn’t you need to see someone?”

“It’s ok.” James smiles up at him. “They don’t need me anymore.”

Aleks seems perplexed by James’ demeanour and he opens his mouth before closing it again.

James knows he needs to leave, though he can’t bear to tear himself away from Aleks’ disheartened gaze, and he can feel himself automatically edging down the remaining stairs.

“Sorry, dude,” Aleks adds, seemingly on a whim, “but…you’re, _uh_ , you’re _gorgeous._ ”

James is suddenly transported back to the night they first met, to those first words Aleks ever spoke to him, and he can’t help but smile through the tears that finally spring to his eyes.

“Tell me about it, stud,” he murmurs, finally making it to the footpath. James takes a deep breath as he turns away from Aleks for the last time.

James swears he hears Aleks gasp, but his mind is just heartbroken enough now that it’s probably just the wind playing with his emotions. He pushes himself to walk faster, to flee where he can live out the rest of his human life with the only person he has left.

As he’d told Brett earlier, his hearing is definitely worse than he’s used to, but there’s no way even his human ears could miss the single word shouted out from behind him.

“ _James!”_

James stutters to a halt. By the time he turns around, he’s only got about a half-second of notice before a streak of blond hair and grey hoodie crashes into him and sends him tumbling to the ground.

“ _Wha—_ ” James wheezes as he’s suddenly crushed under a furious man and his excited puppy.

“You erased my memory, _you asshole!”_ Aleks screeches as Mishka tangles the two of them tighter in her leash. “ _You promised me!”_

“ _ALEKS?!”_ James yells right back, staring at the human above him; at his gleaming hair and flushed cheeks and furious eyes. He’s every bit the man James fell in love with.

“Explain!” Aleks snarls, teeth about an inch from James’ face. “ _RIGHT NOW!”_  

“ _You_ explain!” James sputters, literally and figuratively bowled over by this development. “You didn’t recognise me a minute ago!”

“Well now I do, idiot, so you’d better have one  _hell_ of an explanation for why I haven’t seen you since I got sick.”

“ _I’m_ the reason you _got_ sick, Aleks! My powers were _killing_ you…” 

Aleks freezes, his mouth still open, and he frowns down at James before he finally snaps it shut.

“Continue…”

“I’d never been with any long-term partner before…” James grimaces. “I didn’t know the extent that my powers could drain a human. Your body was shutting down. I would have killed you if I’d stayed, Aleks, and I _never_ could’ve lived with myself if that happened.”

“And…?”

“And I left, so you could move on without me. So you could live a normal life without me hurting you.” James admits.

“And you came crawling back _because…?”_

“Because I refused to sleep with anyone else! It felt disgusting and wrong and I never wanted to be a parasite again, but Brett didn’t want to watch me _starve_ myself so the crazy bugger found a spell to turn me human so I could come back to you.” James gasps, watching as Aleks starts, wide eyes finally shooting up to where James’ horns used to reside. 

“ _Human…?”_

“ _Yes_ , silly.” James huffs. “Human as you.”

Aleks frowns as he pats through James’ hair and Mishka seems to want to join in the search, nose snuffling through James’ curls until he laughs and bats both of them away.

“It’s legit, ok?”

James sighs, staring up at the man who changed his life so completely from the moment they first met, and he wants to fucking kiss him. Lucky for James, their bodies are already tangled up together with the leash and he holds Aleks closer.

“I fucked up,” he admits, and the look in Aleks’ eyes tells him he’ll be making up for this for a _long fucking time_.

“You fucked up,” Aleks agrees, but he’s already leaning down to kiss James like he never wants to let him go again, giggling against his lips as Mishka barks and keeps racing around the two of them. Aleks doesn’t pull away until James feels like he might pass out and he pants down at him with that fire in his eyes that James fell in love with all those months ago.

“You owe me _big_ time.” Aleks quirks an eyebrow. “You’ve got yourself a life debt now, buddy.”

James snorts and cups Aleks’ face in his hands. Aleks is warm and vibrant and so very _real_ that James’ heart feels like it’ll beat right out of his chest.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9 Soundtrack: [Consequences by Camila Cabello](https://open.spotify.com/track/7sTtHHrD0zDpmzQzH3zegz?si=6uxctFxoQq6_vSTAzyRPPg), [I Can't Go Back Now by Matthew Perryman Jones](https://open.spotify.com/track/5bXhTXJnQdNr2j6uy7RuuG?si=xQlU11A5R1aDjjDumSolcg), [I Will Always Return by Bryan Adams](https://open.spotify.com/track/0hkppOIXAfknRGYr34sLgy?si=8XHnYAjCStW5ucQEYs4_ag) and [Keep Me Crazy by Sheppard](https://open.spotify.com/track/756xOfT6UoTgkf0w8PnVIC?si=v8RxOdX1QCiuijKllTwNsw).


	10. (Epilogue) The home for my heart

“I still can’t get over your hair.” James sighs happily and Aleks rolls his eyes as he plops down on the couch.

“Well if you hadn’t _reset my brain_ to factory settings, I might not have gotten it re-bleached yet.” Aleks chuckles and James smirks.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, it’s _hot_.” James wiggles his eyebrows, making a great show of ogling his boyfriend. “You’re my own personal sun now.”

“ _Idiot,_ ” Aleks replies, but he’s grinning as he tucks himself into James’ side and James drapes his arm around his shoulders.

Aleks’ hand is there, fingers tapping away on his leg, and James takes the opportunity to slot his fingers between Aleks’ and give them a happy squeeze. Aleks looks at him from the corner of his eyes, cheeks a soft pink, and James feels like his mouth should hurt with the amount of smiling he’s been doing lately. 

He wants to kiss Aleks _again_ , though truthfully that desire has been a constant companion since the transformation. He’s just leaning down to drop a kiss in that golden hair when he hears an excited bark and the skittering of claws.

Mishka comes dashing into the room with a tiny little corgi pup yapping in her wake. Celia relaxes on the nearby shelf, looking down at the dogs with lazy eyes and a gentle swish of her tail as they race around the room. 

James doesn’t realise what’s going to happen until it’s too late; the corgi launches herself straight into his lap, knocking all the wind out of him as she collides with his chest. Aleks is cackling in the background like an _asshole_ as James wheezes. 

“ _Jesus Christ_ , Ein,” James gasps, petting through the corgi’s thick fur as she wiggles and yelps in his lap. “We’re gonna need to get that under control or you’ll kill me.”

Ein snuffles around James’ face, licking at his cheek, and James can see the orange dot right under her chin. When he closes his eyes, he’s transported back to the morning before.

“Open them!” Aleks murmurs excitedly, finally lifting his hands from James’ face.

James blinks in the sunlight, eyes slowly adjusting, and a farmhouse swims into view, rustic and homely. In front of that, an enclosure with six excited corgi puppies immediately steals James’ attention.

James turns to gape at Aleks, astonished, and his boyfriend looks like he’s _glowing_ he’s that proud.

“I already vetted them and made sure they were reliable, and I got us first pick of any of the bunch,” Aleks smiles, hand slipping into James’ with a comforting squeeze. “Let’s give Mishka and Celia another brother or sister, yeah?”

Still dumbfounded, James nods weakly and allows Aleks to lead him down the driveway to where an elderly woman is keeping an eye on the pups. As soon as they get closer, the puppies all crowd around the side of the enclosure, barking and hopping up on their stubby little legs.

One in particular, though, goes _mental_ , racing around and yapping as it sees James.

“She must like you.” The breeder chuckles. “Though I’ll warn you she’s an energetic little thing.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Aleks laughs, hugging James from behind. “We already have a Keeshond pup, so we’re used to the non-stop craziness.”

“She’ll fit right in, then.” The woman smiles, watching as the little corgi tries to hop her way around her brothers and sisters. “Would you like to hold her?”

James nods silently. The breeder scoops the puppy from the enclosure and passes her wriggling little body to James. She immediately starts licking at his face and James giggles as he squeezes her against him.  There’s just _something_ about her—this particular pup—some deep connection he can’t quite explain, but he already knows she’s perfect.

Aleks’ peals of laughter catch her attention and the pup turns to him with her tongue lolling out. Her butt wiggles excitedly, almost shaking herself out of James’ arms, but all he sees is the dot.

It’s tiny, an orange little spot right under the pup’s chin, where the rest of her fur is white.

_Exactly_ where Ein’s was.

The puppy hears his soft gasp and she stares up at him, panting contentedly.

James has no doubt in his mind that it’s Ein; he can _see_ it in her eyes. 

_She came back for him…_

James feels the tears well up, and he buries his face in her fur and hugs the corgi close to his body.

“ _Her…_ ” he says to Aleks, so quiet it’s almost silent, and he hears Aleks tell the breeder they’ll take her home.

James opens his eyes, blinks away the tears, and he’s back home again. Aleks stares at him like he’s seeing colours for the first time and James can only sniffle as he tries to contain the wriggling puppy in his lap. 

“Don’t get all weepy on me.” Aleks smirks. James rolls his eyes and mock punches his arm.

Aleks yelps, playfully scowling as James chuckles.

“ _Fuck you!”_

James finally plops Ein down and she barks happily as she chases Mishka around the room again.

James looks over at Aleks and only gives him a half-second to react before he lunges across the couch and pins his boyfriend down.

Aleks squeals and James can only grin as he kisses him until he feels lightheaded and airy. 

“Is that an invitation?” James whispers, smirking.

“Yeah…” Aleks stares up at him, eyes shining with how blissfully happy he is, and he pulls James down again. “Yeah it is.”

The kiss is warm and safe, new and exciting. It feels like everything James has ever wanted.

It feels like _home_.

 

* * *

 

James stares across at Aleks, grasps his hand in his own, and can’t help but smile as the room gets brighter by the second.

He hugs Aleks close and screws his eyes shut as a blinding flash explodes in the room. Then, everything is suddenly still and silent.

They stand up, creep closer to the ring of salt, and Brett blinks up at them, dazed. His horns are nowhere to be found, eyes a deep brown where once there was only black. James offers his hand and Brett takes it.

“ _Welcome to The Motherfucking Human Experience™._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10 Soundtrack: [A Thousand Years Pt. 2 by Christina Perry and Steve Kazee](https://open.spotify.com/track/7hn8Q8WAxFdL4aZ159GI7C?si=S1cWbx4ZR4yLE1GfQ0hOmQ).
> 
> Incubus AU Official Soundtrack: [Here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7igFfrbhY4nAxrQZl7UOQo?si=3OIQT2vORPCmTNdMerRSHg).
> 
> _**Holy hell, guys!! I can't believe I finally made it! This has been the most incredible writing experience of my life, and the overwhelming love and support of all my beautiful friends and followers kept me strong through all the hard work associated with telling such a large and encompassing story! Once again, I want to say thank you to Ash, Hannah, Kat, Natalie, Grim and every other friend I've ever made in this wonderful fandom (including the very sweet anon, MC, who's been in my Tumblr inbox after every new chapter I posted). Every single one of you made me feel so welcome and so loved, and I'll never forget your kindness! <3** _
> 
> _**As saddened as I am about Cow Chop's eventual end, I promise you that I'll continue to create CC content for however long I continue to receive support from all you lovely people. Next up on the schedule are a few one-shots about a HundarNovaHD AU of Incubus AU, and plenty of Modern Witch AU content to come in the future!!** _
> 
> _**I love you all and I look forward to keeping this train chugging along! <3** _

**Author's Note:**

> Come and say hi on [Tumblr!](https://loveyboyslovin.tumblr.com) I'll be doing asks, prompts and requests through this account! :D


End file.
